2 maio 2019 - 18h36

Doutorando do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Direito da UFMG, apresentará trabalho na Conferência Internacional “Ritratti di Cicerone”

O doutorando do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Direito da UFMG, Igor Moraes Santos, apresentará o trabalho “Montesquieu on Cicero: historiographical, political and philosophical aspects”, na Conferência Internacional “Ritratti di Cicerone”. A apresentação versará sobre o perfil do filósofo e orador romano Marco Túlio Cícero desenvolvido pelo francês Montesquieu em suas principais obras, como “Considerações sobre as causas da grandeza e da decadência dos romanos” e o “O espírito das leis”, no século XVIII.

A conferência é organizada pelos departamentos de Filosofia e de Ciências da Antiguidade da Sapienza Università di Roma, um dos principais centros de estudos clássicos do mundo, além da Societè Internationale des Amis de Cicéron (SIAC), e ocorrerá nos dias 15 a 17 de maio de 2019 em Roma, Itália, na Sapienza Università di Roma, no Museo dei Fori Imperiali e no Museo Radici del Presente. O evento contará com a presença de alguns dos mais destacados pesquisadores contemporâneos no âmbito da filosofia de Cícero e da Antiguidade romana, como Yélena Baraz (Princeton), Rita Pierini (Firenzi) e Catherine Steel (Glasgow).

O doutorando Igor Moraes Santos, integrante da equipe de pesquisa “Raízes e Asas”, coordenado pela Profa. Dra. Karine Salgado, desenvolveu pesquisa de Mestrado dedicado ao pensamento ciceroniano, com dissertação intitulada “A res publica entre a ideia e a história: filosofia, eloquência e tradição no pensamento político-jurídico de Marco Túlio Cícero”, além de ter textos publicados tanto sobre Cícero quanto sobre Montesquieu.

A seguir, o resumo do trabalho selecionado:

“Montesquieu on Cicero: historiographical, political and philosophical aspects”
“Cicéron selon moi est un des grans esprits qui aye jamais êté. L’ame toûjours belle lorsqu’elle n’etoit pas foible” (Pensées I, 773). This statement is emblematic to synthesize Montesquieu’s portrait of Marcus Tullius Cicero. On the one hand, admiration is present since his early works, as in Discurs sur Cicéron. On the other hand, criticism about his sometimes hesitant personality already exudes in that panegyric. This mixture of praise and disapproval is part of a change in the authority of ancient examples carried out by the Lumières, which included the tradition built on Cicero. Still, Montesquieu is emphatic in asserting that “on ne peut jamais quitter les Romains” (L’esprit des lois XI, 13).
The peculiarity of this modern Ciceronian representation justifies an investigation on three of its aspects: Cicero as historiographical source, historical figure and philosopher. For this purpose, I intend to examine several works, either those discussing his life and ideas (Discurs, Pensées, Notes sur Cicéron), or using his texts for argumentative reasoning (L’esprit, Dissertation sur la politique des Romains sur la religion).
I will argue that Roman examples remained essential for Montesquieu’s political reflections (Pensées I, 9). The Republic is praised in contrast to the Ancien Régime, making Cicero one of the most referenced sources in L’esprit and Considerations. He is a witness, but also a writer aware of the signs of ruin, as in his letters, “un monument bien authentique de la corruption romaine” (Pensées III, 1669). Despite this recognition, Cicero is seen as a halting political actor, responsible for grave errors. For this reason, Montesquieu attributes to him a small ethical role, preferring Cato’s firm stance. However, he died as a martyr dedicated to civic duties lamentably lost in Modernity. Finally, as a philosopher, Cicero is also hesitant, but this is a signal of criticism of consolidated philosophical positions. For example, religions are condemned by reason (Notes), but can serve as instrument of politics and social control (Dissertation). I claim that, for this intellectual autonomy, Montesquieu sees Cicero as a model of solitary trajectory philosopher in struggle for recognition among peers, like himself. His prominent position amid ancient philosophers (Pensées II, 969) is overshadowed only by the superiority of Modernity. Montesquieu’s modern and enlightened portrait of Cicero lies between criticism and praise, but it does not prevent him from proclaiming the old consul as the ancient who “a eu le plus de mérite personnel, et qui j’aimerois mieux ressembler” (Discours).