Stoic Paradoxes

Cicero. M. Tullii Ciceronis De officiis ad Marcum filium libri tres, Paradoxa stoicorum, Timaeus. Baiter, J. G., editor. Leipzig: B. Tauchnitz, 1865.

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This work, dedicated by Cicero to his friend Brutus, is a philosophical treatise that aims to demonstrate the extreme propositions, or "paradoxes," of Stoic philosophy using the techniques of rhetoric. The author takes these seemingly absurd Stoic doctrines and reformulates them into persuasive arguments accessible to the general public, drawing on historical Roman exemplars and his own political experiences. Starting with the first paradox that "only what is morally noble is good," the text sequentially addresses topics such as the equivalence of all transgressions and the idea that all fools are enslaved. Throughout the discussion, Cicero contrasts the happiness of the wise person, who remains unshaken by external hardships, with the spiritual bondage of those ruled by desire. Ultimately, the work concludes that true freedom and wealth reside not in material possessions, but solely in inner virtue and self-control.