Cicero's 'Civiliter'

Upon the suggestion of a dear wise friend, I've undertaken a course of much-needed 'catch-up' in regard to my liberal arts education, specifically in the realm of ancient Greek philospohy and its bleedover into Roman schools of thought.

My friend recommended Cicero, whom he himself regards as a rhetorical and oratorical friend, as a start. I suppose it might sound strange to think of an ancient superstar speaker and thinker like Cicero as a friend, but you just have to know the person doing the recommending.

After scratching the surface only, one concept of Cicero's has taken my breath away and it is that of civiliter. Michael Grant, the translator of the Cicero: Selected Works I've borrowed, states that the word itself has no direct translation in modern English, but its meaning approximates:

"like a citizen, like an educated Roman, like a civilized man living as a member of his community."

And Grant continues to assert:

"Among those of the world's codes of behaviour which are within the bounds of practicability, few if any deserve more careful consideration than Cicero's."

So, it may be for this reason that my friend has suggested the much lauded and oft-emulated Cicero to start my literal re-education.

More on the man, Cicero, and the notion of civiliter later.

New Name, New Cycle

Since the last go 'round, the title 'per volar su nata' has stood here as a mantra to really make this thing fly and for the most part, it has some air under it now, mostly hot air, but bouyant and flavorful nonetheless.

This time around, I'll go with 'nosce te ipsum' - Latin for "know thyself" - so as to treat the blog as a reflection of my own thoughts and interests (just for fun and as a tiny salute to my family heritage, I've included the original Greek in the title). Taken as a whole, the content and commentary in this collection of posts is gradually helping to illuminate my own dreams and fascinations.

And so, onward.