cato and the optimates

is cato patrician or plebian?

plebian

what does conservative mean?

political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values

what did cato do in 65BC?

-he was quaestor, he famously prosecuted former quaestors who had misused public funds

what did cato do in 63BC?

-supports the prosecution of Murena on charges for excessive electoral bribery (he was defended by cicero)

-is in favour of excecuting the conspirators without trial

what role did cato play in 62BC?

tribune of the plebs

what did cato do in 60BC?

passed two decrees tackling people who used bribery

what did cato do in 59 bc?

-rejects caesars land law, he is arrested for his opposition and is the last to swear (oath) to uphold his land bill- took it exactly on the deadline (only went against his morals at the very last second, always spoke his mind, no other option)

what happened to cato in 51 BC?

- he stood for consulship but was passed over as he did not use bribery in elections

when did cato die?

46BC

what did cato do in 46 BC?

lead the final resistance against caesar

how did cato die?

-suicide, stabbed himself non fatally in the stomach then pulled out his stitches, slowly bled out

-died in Utica, Africa

When it became clear at the Battle at Thapsus that Julius Caesar would be the political leader of Rome, Cato chose the philosophically accepted way out, suicide.

what are cato's key personality traits?

highly moral, incorruptible, inflexible supporter of the Optimates.

-stubborn, resilient, has a strong sense of duty, believes in traditional roman values, opposed to tyrrany, honest, integral

how could catos death be seen as not stoic?

If the Stoic life of a philosopher is to be in harmony with his logos, then Cato's suicide is not a philosopher's death. Although Cato has prepared himself and is reading a quiet text by Plato, he loses his cool in his final hours, succumbing to emotional outbursts and violence.

whats the difference between greek (original) stoicism and roman

-greeks viewed it as a moral philosophy about how to conduct yourself in life to reach flourishing and content

-the romans morphed this into a a sense of duty to your politics, family and wife

how could cato's death be seen as stoic?

-he remained true to his morals, chose the dignified way out, continually refused to join tyranny

what political faction did cato belong to?

the optimates (boni)

-vocated for liberty and the preservation of the Republic's principles, he dedicated himself to protecting the traditional Roman values he believed were in decline, upholding the customs of ancestors

what is pragmatism?

-practicality

-a philosophical tradition that views language and thought as tools for prediction, problem solving, and action

-exercise of power in the successful pursuit of practical and specific objectives

why did stoic philosophy become popular in rome in 2nd century bc?

-after the conquest of greece

-the arrival of roman interests in all things greek

who was zeno?

A Greek philosopher who founded stoicism, 3rd century BC

who was Panaetius of Rhodes?

-greek stoic who arrived in rome late 2nd century bc - introduced stoicism to romans

what are the basics of stoicism?

provides a mode of conduct characterized by tranquillity of mind and certainty of moral worth.

what is eudaemonia?

-human flourishing, the stoic end goal of life, ultimate achievement

-the highest human good and is associated with living a virtuous and fulfilling life, rather than merely experiencing happiness as a fleeting emotion.

-state of fulfillment and purpose, emphasizing the importance of virtue and moral character in achieving true happiness.

-Unlike ordinary happiness, which can be transient, eudaimonia is about achieving a deeper, more meaningful existence.

how do stoics say you can reach eudaemonia?

centers on virtue as the highest good, cultivating emotional self-control, a calm problem-solving state of mind, and rational judgment

-> places value on practicing virtues in replacements of virtues

-> act with the virtue of courage

the practice of virtues - four cardinal virtues in everyday life — prudence, fortitude, temperance, and justice — as well as living in accordance with nature.

virtues of stoic philosophy

-destructive emotions resulted from errors of judgment, and people should aim to maintain a will (called prohairesis) that is "in accordance with nature" -> emphesis on good behaviour rather than words (actions vs words) -> cicero vs cato

what were vices in stoic philosophy?

-passions, anxieties, and insecurities are viewed as misguided reactions that ought to be controlled through self-disciplined practice

-recklessness (a vice of excess)

-cowardess (a vice of deficiency)

how do the stoics try to combat vices?

-realises that we are gripped by our passions and should work on our own self-improvement

what is the stoic theory of "indifferents"?

-everything that wasn't vice or virtue weren't good or bad and should not be avoided nor persued

-eg. health, wealth, fame, poverty

how did the romans misinterpret stoic philosophy?

-they interpreted it that they should have complete duty and self control in their marriages and in their politics

stoic characteristics which were appealing to romans:

-self control over emotions, recogintion that hardship was necessary and had to be endured

-individual betterment, focusing on morality

-indifferents - preffered it as it wasn't a vice or a virtue

-living according to nature

what is the vice of being gripped with passions?

-where humans are overcome with misguided emotions and beliefs over worries, aspirations and value -> stoics argue that we should challenge the beliefs by replacing them with good actions and beliefs to live a more individual life (similar to roman republic thought system)

what was the impact of stoic philosophy on cato's life?

1: his actions as quaestor (adhered to laws, prosicuted extorters)

2: supported prosecution of Murena - corrupt extortioner

3: attempted to tackle bribery, refused to accept or offer bribes during elections

4: viewed caesar as a tyrant in the making, committed suicide - chose to die rather than submit to a tyrant, on his own terms, honourable

5: is arrested for his opposition to caesar's land bill, last to take the oath

why did cato support the optimate faction?

-despite being a plebeian, he came from a noble family (great grandson of cato the elder)

-the conservative idea of duty and preservation of the state appealed to his stoic beliefs

-he believed that the populares were dangerous revolutionaries

what did cato do in 63 BC?

spoke eloquently in favour of the execution of the conspirators

what did cato do in 62BC?

he was tribune of the plebs

what did cato do in 60BC which showed opposition to pompey?

-rejects two bills that would assist pompey - one to settle his veterans, one to ratify (legitimize) treaties in the east

what did cato do in 52 BC which helped pompey?

-votes in favour of making pompey sole consul

what did cato do in 50 BC?

one of the 22 vetoes against caesar's imperium

cicero and cato's overall relationship:

-had several clashes over political ideals and morals, but occasionally supported each other

ways in which cicero and cato were allies

-they both saw themselves as defendants of the res publica

-both optimate faction, both fought on the same side of the civil war

-cato stood with cicero against the conspirators of 63BC

-cato acknowledged cicero's brilliant oratory

-cicero wrote cato's eulogy

ways in which cicero and cato opposed each other:

-cato regarded his homo novus and not noble background as making him inferior, didn't fully trust him

-he refused to grant cicero honours in recognition of his services as governor of cilicia (triumph)

-cato prosecuted murena while cicero defended him

-cicero then wrote to atticus that he was furious with him (despite being polite in public)

what was clodius and cato's relationship?

-most think is is entirely negative, some think that cato was looking out for clodius' best interests

ways in which clodius and cato were allies:

-clodius' gangs never targeted cato

-some think that cato would have welcomed the opportunity to go to cyprus in order to establish his administrative excellence (leadership, military prowess)

-clodius' gangs never targetted cato despite being ruthless

ways in which clodius and cato opposed each other:

-clodius' immoral actions went against cato's stoic philosophy (bona dea scandal, rumoured mutiny (rebellion) in syria

-clodius sent cato to annex (seize) cyprus in 58BC (expand the roman empire) - immoral?

how can pompey and cato's relationship be described?

wholey negative, pompeys' ideals clashed a lot with cato's

ways in which pompey and cato opposed each other:

-pompey didn't follow the cursus honorum, achieved consulship at exceptionally young age due to military achievements

-weak morals, fluctuated between popularis and optimates, pragmatic

-catotried to prevent nepos from speaking after he proposed that pompey should return to rome to eliminate the remaining cataline supporters

-in 60BC, cato convinced the senate to reject pompeys request for land to settle his veterans and to legitimize treaties that he had made in the east

ways in which pompey and cato were allies:

-cato supported that pompey should stand for sole consul in 52BC without caesar (lesser of two evils)

-pompey lead cato and the optimates in the civil war (fought on the same side sfter opposing him for decades), pompey turned to the optimate faction, both ended up opposing caesar

how can cato and caesar's relationship be described?

-political enemies

-caesar represented everything that cato fought against

-hostile and tempetuous

examples of caesar and cato's friendship:

-cato's son in law bibulus was co-consul with caesar in 60 BC

examples of caesar and cato's opposition:

-cato influenced the senate to reject caesar's requests while he was in gaul

-cato lead the optimates to join pompey rather than caesar

-when the republicans were defeated at thaspius in april of 46BC, cato realised that resistance to caesar was over

-he chose to commit suicide rather than submit to caesar (huge stoic action)

-cicero wrote the anti-cato pamphlet in response to cicero's eulogy - ciritisising him, it was recieved as a cruel and vindicative piece of writing

what is the role of a quaestor?

-juniour magistrate post (judge)

what example of cato's stoicism does Bispham give?

cato walking out of the Floralia festivals when the strippers arrived - "they applauded cato having the courage to go against the popular grain and do what he believed was right"

what does bispham say is the difference between cato and cicero?

"cato became famous for this inexorable application of morality ... different from cicero bringing morality and ethics into politics"

- "cicero was more interested in making leaders... so that they could make more informed choices which would have good consequences. Cato was extremely committed to being virtuous"

what political group did cato align with?

the optimates

-was one of the 20/30 people called nobiles (nobles) who had the most dominant influence over the senate

what does bispham say is the reason for cato aligning with the optimates?

"his idea of virtue coincided with a very restrictive ideaof how politics should work ... where the senate held the whip-hand"

"he was important for his dogged inflexibility and his willingness to say and do difficult things if they supported the supremacy and rule of the senate"

what does bispham say about catos reasons for committing suicide?

"rather than surrender his freedom to the dictator... which would have represented a complete negotiation of not just his freedom but who he was, he took his own life with a high profile suicide"

what does bispham say is the significance of cato's suicide?

"this willingness to die, this unwillingness to compromise with dictatorship and tyranny, became a really potent symbol and powered cato's reputation"

what does bispham say about stoicism?

"man should live according to his nature ... living in accordance with virtue"

"virtue was the only thing that was really good"

"stoics placed a lot of emphasis on personal freedom... in order to live in accordance to nature you had to be free to chose"

what does bispham say about the importance of freedom?

"stoics placed a lot of emphasis on personal freedom... in order to live in accordance to nature you had to be free to chose"

what sets cicero and cato apart from each other?

-cicero is more flexible and pragmatic, willing to adapt his political views for his status and the betterment of rome, cicero was indecisive in choosing sides for the civil war, more concerned with his own hopes for concordia ordinum and peace rather than choosing what was right

-cicero was more self-serving

-cato chooses tribune / censor against rising the ranks, extremely inflexible and uptight

-both were fantastic orators

how did cato help cicero during the cataline conspiracy in 63BC?

- he went against the general consensus that the excecution of the conspirators was wrong and made a grand, barnstorming and powerful speech about the need to execute the criminals in order to "uphold romes traditional values"

-the senators "praised him to the skies" afterwards and he was seen as a saviour (stole cicero's thunder in getting them executed)

-demonstrated his ability to "take something difficult, to go against the public opinion stand up for what you believe in and say it forcefully"

conflict between cicero and cato in 63 BC:

In 63 Cato Prosecuted Murena for ELECTORAL BRIBERY. Cicero Successfully defended Murena, recognising the need for a good solider in Rome because Catiline's army was present in Italy

conflict between cicero and cato in 50 BC:

When Cicero was seeking a triumph in 50BC for his Civilian governorship, Cato blocked this request

what were cicero and cato's views on the equites request for rebates on their taxes?

-cicero said that it was outrageous but that it must be supported for the sake of order and harmony in the state (lesser of two evils, doesn't want to foresake harmony and stability)

-cato thinks that the demand of the equites is a disgrace and should be resisted at every single turn

-cicero claimed that cato's ideals were more like plato's republic than rome

what does bispham say about the overlap of cato's stoicism and the optimate faction?

"what he thinks is right always coincides with the policies that will keep the senate in the dominant position"

"all of the other aristocrats looked to him as a sort of moral compass"

what does bispham say about the caesar - cato conflict?

"cato makes the removal of caesar into something laudable rather than something personal, into something grand rather than something petty. And he does that by imbuing it with his own enormous sense of moral certainty"

"if there was one thing that could have elavated it above that (a struggle for status) into a struggle for something grand, a struggle for the spirit of the state or the spirit of the people, something really worth fighting for, it was cato's austere and hard-nosed vision of the republic."

what does austere mean

severe or strict in manner, attitude, or appearance

what does thwart mean

prevent (someone) from accomplishing something.

inexorable meaning

impossible to prevent

what does dissident mean

a person who opposes official policy, especially that of an authoritarian state.

what does bispham say cato look from his ancestor (cato the elder)?

"combined the austere traditional morality of his ancestor cato the elder with rigorous philosophical training" (which he would have hated)

after which battle did cato commit suicide?

battle of thaspus

in what year did cato commit suicide?

46BC

what did seneca say about cato?

"all ages will produce men like clodius, but not all ages men like cato"

what did cicero say about cato?

"with the best intentions and the highest regard for the republic, he acts as though he lives in Plato's republic rather than in the sewers of rome"

(plato produced a text called the republic which outlined the ideal state, justice and the role of individuals through philosophical writing)

what does scholar marin say about cato's morals?

"he would rather stick to his principles than change himself to win votes"

what does syme say about roman stoicism?

"stoicism was not adopted in its entirety by the romans, but cherry-picked to offer a moral roman ideal"

obstinate meaning

stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or chosen course of action, despite attempts to persuade one to do so

paragon meaning

perfect example of a quality

what does scullard say about cato?

"he was idealised as a martyr of republican liberty and a PARAGON OF STOIC VALUES"