Source edition
Cicero. M. Tullii Ciceronis De divinatione libri duo libri de fato quae manserunt. Mueller, C. F. W., editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1915.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA (per Perseus's terms)
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
Cicero's "On Fate" is a philosophical dialogue that addresses the conflict between the necessity of fate and the existence of human free will and moral responsibility. Set against the turbulent political backdrop following the assassination of Julius Caesar, the work is presented as a conversation between Cicero and Hirtius. Adopting the skeptical stance of the Academic school, Cicero rejects the deterministic view that all events are predetermined by fate, arguing instead that human will and philosophical training can overcome natural disposition. He critically examines the logical debates on modality involving Diodorus and Chrysippus, while also dismissing Epicurus' theory of the "swerve of atoms" as an uncaused motion. Supporting Carneades' concept of the "voluntary motion of the mind," Cicero defends the autonomy of the human will without relying on causeless events. Ultimately, he analyzes Chrysippus' attempt to reconcile fate and free will through the distinction between principal and auxiliary causes, concluding that the dispute between determinists and their opponents is largely a semantic one.