Cicero's Political Imperative aims to establish the perennial value of Cicero's classic but neglected text. Following the hermeneutical lead of Hans-Georg Gadamer and Paul Ricoeur, it re-examines Cicero's final and most original philosophical work with an eye toward establishing its potential contribution to contemporary consciousness. It proposes adjustments to be made to our understanding both of Cicero as a philosopher, and of philosophy itself, if On Duties is to be meaningfully read. It traces Cicero's handling of the Stoic notions of 'natural law' and 'a life lived according to nature'...