Skip to main content
How To Think About God

How To Think About God

An Ancient Guide For Believers And Nonbelievers

Marcus Tullius Cicero

A vivid and accessible new translation of Cicero's influential writings on the Stoic idea of the divineMost ancient Romans were deeply religious and their world was overflowing with gods—from Jupiter, Minerva, and Mars to countless local divinities, household gods, and ancestral spirits. One of the most influential Roman perspectives on religion came from a nonreligious belief ...

Publisher:
Princeton Press
Year of publication:
2019
Subject:
Non Fiction
ISBN:
978-0-691-18365-7
Pages:
151
18,75 €
IVA included
No stock. Please check price
Inquire
Add to favorites

Synopsis

A vivid and accessible new translation of Cicero's influential writings on the Stoic idea of the divine

Most ancient Romans were deeply religious and their world was overflowing with gods—from Jupiter, Minerva, and Mars to countless local divinities, household gods, and ancestral spirits. One of the most influential Roman perspectives on religion came from a nonreligious belief system that is finding new adherents even today: Stoicism. How did the Stoics think about religion? In How to Think about God, Philip Freeman presents vivid new translations of Cicero's On the Nature of the Gods and The Dream of Scipio. In these brief works, Cicero offers a Stoic view of belief, divinity, and human immortality, giving eloquent expression to the religious ideas of one of the most popular schools of Roman and Greek philosophy.

On the Nature of the Gods and The Dream of Scipio are Cicero's best-known and most important writings on religion, and they have profoundly shaped Christian and non-Christian thought for more than two thousand years, influencing such luminaries as Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Dante, and Thomas Jefferson. These works reveal many of the religious aspects of Stoicism, including an understanding of the universe as a materialistic yet continuous and living whole in which both the gods and a supreme God are essential elements.

Featuring an introduction, suggestions for further reading, and the original Latin on facing pages, How to Think about God is a compelling guide to the Stoic view of the divine.

Related Articles

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This

Omar El Akkad

Canongate

WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTION WINNER OF THE PALESTINE BOOK AWARDS SHORTLISTED FOR THE GORDON BURN PRIZE One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This is an urgent and necessary reckoning about what it means to live in the West today. This is a book for those that have tired of moral emptiness. This is a book for everyone who wants something better. ...

13,75 €
Low stock
More

More

Gillian Anderson

Bloomsbury

THE DARING FOLLOW-UP TO THE NO. 1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER WANT 'Am I a bad person? Or am I allowed to wonder "what if"?' 'Is this kind of desire simply something people feel but don't speak about?' 'What is a woman without fantasy?' More pleasure, more kink, more partners, more zest - this is desire turned all the way up. If Want sparked the fire of a quiet revolution, More ...

21,25 €
Low stock
Breakneck

Breakneck

Dan Wang

Penguin

New York Times Bestseller *Shortlisted for the Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year* From an indispensable voice on China comes a riveting, first-hand account of China's seismic progress For close to a decade, Dan Wang has been observing China's tumultuous and astounding growth. The state has constructed towering bridges, gleaming railways and sprawling fa...

16,25 €
Low stock
The New Dark Ages

The New Dark Ages

James Marriott

Bodley Head

The world we knew is passing away and nothing will ever be the same again. Welcome to the post-literate society. Books are dying. Across the world the number of people reading is in free fall. Literacy is declining or stagnating in most developed countries. At universities, students are unable to read the books assigned to them. Addictive digital entertainment technologies ha...

18,75 €
Low stock
Chopsy

Chopsy

Maya Jordan

Penguin

"A curse on being ordinary! Wrong is not her name. Her name is Maya Jordan. She is a noisy woman and we should fear her"--Michael SheenA sharply funny, furious and rousing account of a life lived in triumphant opposition to the limitations and systemic inequalities of a working-class woman's life. Underestimated and overlooked at each stage and age, Maya Jordan's ambition and r...

16,25 €
Low stock
The New Perimenopause

The New Perimenopause

Mary Claire Haver

V

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The New Menopause explains everything a woman needs to know to thrive during the often-misdiagnosed and medically ignored perimenopausal years 'Don't tolerate shrugged shoulders from your doctor during your perimenopausal journey. Get ahead of the issues and your potential symptoms with this important, empowering and scientifically d...

27,50 €
Low stock

Other books by the author

How To Be a Friend

How To Be a Friend

Marcus Tullius Cicero

Princeton Press

A splendid new translation of one of the greatest books on friendship ever writtenIn a world where social media, online relationships, and relentless self-absorption threaten the very idea of deep and lasting friendships, the search for true friends is more important than ever. In this short book, which is one of the greatest ever written on the subject, the famous Roman politi...

18,75 €
Low stock
How To Win An Argument

How To Win An Argument

Marcus Tullius Cicero

Princeton Press

Timeless techniques of effective public speaking from ancient Rome's greatest oratorAll of us are faced countless times with the challenge of persuading others, whether we're trying to win a trivial argument with a friend or convince our coworkers about an important decision. Instead of relying on untrained instinct—and often floundering or failing as a result—we'd win more arg...

18,75 €
Low stock
How To Grow Old

How To Grow Old

Marcus Tullius Cicero

Penguin

Timeless wisdom on growing old gracefully from one of ancient Rome's greatest philosophersWorried that old age will inevitably mean losing your libido, your health, and possibly your marbles too? Well, Cicero has some good news for you. In How to Grow Old, the great Roman orator and statesman eloquently describes how you can make the second half of life the best part of all—and...

18,75 €
Low stock