Exercising judgments in the world: a consideration of Cicero's theoretical writings on politics and their continuing relevance to International Political Theory
This project seeks to show International Political Theorists that Cicero’s theoretical writings on politics are of continuing relevance to their research. I argue that this field of study would benefit a great deal in holding a conception of politics which is more personal than current frameworks presuppose and that his theoretical writings on politics provide an excellent basis upon which to investigate real-world problems in politics, whether domestic, international, or global. In building a conception of politics which is (partly) personal, the project begins with a review of some literature in International Political Theory and a few neighbouring fields related to exercising judgments in the world, before moving on in the second chapter to address the literature reviewed through Hannah Arendt’s theoretical writings on politics. Arendt’s writings allow for the development of several terms used in the first chapter which are touchstones of the civic republican tradition, such as tradition, authority, and persona, at the same time as preparing the way for a consideration of Cicero’s writings. The third chapter, as well as developing numerous arguments from the first two, provides an account of Cicero’s framework of civic virtues as he articulates them in the De Officiis, and the final chapter carries out the same task in relation to his theoretical framework of res publica as articulated in the De Re Publica
