Ancient Rome philosophy is characterized by eclecticism, like this whole era. This culture was formed in conflict with Greek civilization and at the same time felt unity with it. Roman philosophy was not very interested in how nature works - it mainly talked about life, overcoming adversities and dangers, as well as how to combine religion, physics, logic and ethics.
Doctrine of virtues
One of the most prominent representatives of the Stoic school was Seneca. He was a teacher of Nero - known for his poor reputation as the emperor of Ancient Rome. Seneca's philosophy is set forth in such writings as "Letters to Lucillus, " "Questions of Nature." But Roman Stoicism was different from the classical Greek trend. So, Zenon and Chrysippus considered logic the skeleton of philosophy, and the soul - physics. Ethics, they thought it was muscle. Seneca was the new Stoic. Ethics called the soul of thinking and all virtue. And he lived in accordance with his principles. Because he did not approve of the repression of his pupil against Christians and the opposition, the emperor ordered Seneca to commit suicide, which he did with dignity.
School of humility and moderation
The philosophy of Ancient Greece and Rome took Stoicism very positively and developed this direction until the very end of the era of antiquity. Another famous thinker of this school is Epictetus - the first philosopher of the ancient world, who was a slave by origin. This left an imprint on his views. Epictetus openly called for slaves to be considered the same people as everyone else, which was inaccessible to Greek philosophy. For him, stoicism was a lifestyle, a science that allows you to maintain self-control, not to seek pleasures and not be afraid of death. He stated that one should not wish for the best, but what is already there. Then you will not be disappointed in life. Epictetus called his philosophical creed apathy, the science of dying. This he called obedience to the Logos (God). Humility with fate is a manifestation of the highest spiritual freedom. A follower of Epictetus was Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
Skeptics
Historians studying the development of human thought, consider such a thing as ancient philosophy as a single whole. Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome were similar among themselves in a number of concepts. This is especially characteristic of the period of late antiquity. For example, both Greek and Roman thought knew such a thing as skepticism. This direction always arises in times of decline of large civilizations. In the philosophy of Ancient Rome, its representatives were Enesidem of Knossos (a pupil of Pirron), Agrippa, Sextus Empiricus. They were all alike in that they opposed all kinds of dogmatism. Their main slogan was the assertion that all disciplines contradict each other and deny themselves, only skepticism accepts everything and at the same time casts doubt on it.
“About the nature of things”
Epicureanism was another popular school of ancient Rome. This philosophy became known primarily thanks to Titus Lucretius Carus, who lived in a rather turbulent time. He was the interpreter of Epicurus and in the poem "On the nature of things" in verse outlined his philosophical system. First of all, he clarified the doctrine of atoms. They are devoid of any properties, but their combination creates the qualities of things. The number of atoms in nature is always the same. Thanks to them, the transformation of matter occurs. Out of nothing, nothing arises. Worlds are multiple, they arise and perish according to the law of natural necessity, and atoms are eternal. The universe is infinite, time exists only in objects and processes, and not by itself.
Epicureanism
Lucretius was one of the best thinkers and poets of ancient Rome. His philosophy aroused at the same time delight and indignation among contemporaries. He constantly argued with representatives of other areas, especially with skeptics. Lucretius believed that they in vain consider science to be non-existent, because otherwise we would constantly think that every day a new sun rises. Meanwhile, we know very well that this is one and the same luminary. Lucretius also criticized the Platonic idea of the transmigration of souls. He said that since the individual is dying anyway, what difference does it make where his spirit goes. Both the material and the psychic in a person are born, age and die. Lucretius thought about the origin of civilization. He wrote that at first people lived in a state of savagery until they recognized the fire. And society arose as a result of an agreement between individuals. Lucretius preached a peculiar Epicurean atheism and at the same time criticized Roman manners as too perverse.
Rhetoric
The brightest representative of the eclecticism of Ancient Rome, the philosophy of which is the subject of this article, was Mark Tullius Cicero. He considered rhetoric the basis of all thinking. This politician and speaker tried to combine the Roman desire for virtue and the Greek art of philosophizing. It was Cicero who introduced the concept of “humanitas”, which we now widely use in political and public discourse. In the field of science, this thinker can be called an encyclopedist. As for morality and ethics, in this area he believed that each discipline goes to virtue in its own way. Therefore, every educated person must know any ways of knowing and accept them. And all sorts of domestic adversities are overcome by willpower.
Philosophical and religious schools
During this period, traditional antique philosophy continued to develop. Ancient Rome took well the teachings of Plato and his followers. Especially at this time, philosophical and religious schools that united the West and the East were fashionable. The main issues raised by these teachings are the relationship and opposition of spirit and matter.
One of the most popular destinations was neo-Pythagoreanism. It promoted the idea of one God and a world full of contradictions. Neo-Pythagoreans believed in the magic of numbers. A very famous figure in this school was Apollonius of Tyana, who was ridiculed by Apuleius in his Metamorphoses. Among the Roman intellectuals, the teachings of Philo of Alexandria dominated, who tried to combine Judaism with Platonism. He believed that Jehovah gave birth to the Logos, which created the world. No wonder Engels at one time called Philo "uncle of Christianity."
