Cicero
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Cicero
(dreams)The Roman orator and statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 B.C.E.) wrote a variety of philosophical works during periods of forced retirement from public life. Most of his philosophical works are dialogues between distinguished Romans and young men just beginning their political careers, preceded by an introduction in defense of philosophical studies.
Among his works on logic are Academica (45 B.C.E.), on the dispute between dogmatists and skeptics adhering to the philosophical doctrines of Plato‘s Academy about the criteria of truth, and Topica (44 B.C.E.). De finibus bonorum et malorum (45 B.C.E.), Tusculanae disputationes (45 B.C.E.), and De officiis (44 B.C.E.) are his major ethical writings, whereas De oratore (55 B.C.E.) is among his rhetorical works. De natura deorum, De divinatione, and De fato (45–44 B.C.E.) present Epicurean, Stoic, and Academic arguments and counterarguments about religion and cosmology.
Cicero’s De republica (51 B.C.E.) contains the famous Dream of Scipio, in which dreams are utilized as a convenient mode of exposition. This literary dream portrays the state of virtuous souls after death, which is a more pleasant existence in the region above the moon. It also reveals Scipio’s own future, foretells Rome’s victory over Carthage, and finally shows Scipio the movements of the heavens and celestial objects, as well as of the earth in its entirety.
Particularly in his essay De divinntione, Cicero composed a sophisticated analysis of dreams, and much of what he said anticipated later criticism of all forms of dream interpretation. He criticized the popular conviction that dreams might be prophetic, maintaining that no divine energy inspires dreams and visions. His analysis asked such questions as, Why do the gods not warn us of impending events when we are awake rather than during sleep? How can one distinguish between true and false dreams?
Cicero took little account of cures indicated in dreams; rather, he asserted that human intellect alone has to be considered sufficient to provide for humanity’s own future welfare. He also maintained that because there are no objects in nature with which dreams have a necessary connection, and because it is impossible to achieve a sure interpretation of them, dreams should not receive credence, nor be entitled to our respect. Dreams, according to Cicero, are simply the overflow from our waking life.
Although he was highly skeptical about dreams, he was nevertheless very concerned with one of his own dreams, in which he saw Octavius as a man who would rise to supreme power in Rome. In the struggle for power after the death of Julius Caesar, Octavius emerged the victor. Cicero and his brother Quintus, who had provoked the enmity of Mark Antony, were included in the purge lists and were killed on demand of Antony himself.
cicero
[′sis·ə·ro or ′chē·chə·rō]Cicero
CICERO
(project)Cicero
a city in the northern United States, in Illinois. Population, 63,000 (1974). An important industrial suburb of Chicago, Cicero employs approximately 40,000 workers in its various manufacturing industries. In addition to electronics and metal-working industries, the city has plants for the production of industrial equipment and household appliances.