Panaetius of Rhodes · Philosophy

Philosophy in Rome: The Scipionic Circle

How Greek philosophy entered the Roman elite through the friendship of Panaetius, the general Scipio Aemilianus, and the historian Polybius - the ‘Scipionic circle’ - and how Panaetius’s practical Stoicism passed through Cicero to become the ethical backbone of the whole Western tradition of public duty.

What you'll be able to recall

You learned that Panaetius entered the Roman elite through the ‘Scipionic circle’ around Scipio Aemilianus, alongside the historian Polybius; that he fitted Stoic ethics to the needs of statesmen; and that his line runs through Cicero to the whole Western ethics of office and duty. Explain how Greek philos…

Leads to Polybius.

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