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  • August 3, 2009
  • Christine Davis Mantai
Raymond Angelo Belliotti
Dr. Raymond Angelo Belliotti

Dr. Raymond Angelo Belliotti, Distinguished Teaching Professor of philosophy at SUNY Fredonia, presents philosophy in historical context in his latest work, Roman Philosophy and the Good Life, recently published by Lexington Books.

“This is a book for those who are drawn to Roman history and politics, and, especially, for those who enjoy viewing philosophy in action,” Belliotti said.

The Romans were practical people not lured to philosophical abstraction for its own sake. Instead, the most thoughtful among them looked to philosophy for guidance on how to live. Lacking a religion that provided a thick book of rules for everyday existence, Romans celebrated moral and political exemplars from their own tradition; they were instinctively drawn to sentimentalizing and mythologizing their illustrious past; and they were convinced that the world was a battleground for military and political glory. Honoring relentless competition and championing a mercilessly class-divided society often coalesced unsteadily with venerating the rule of law and advancing the common good. Romans steeped in their own traditions and intoxicated by their military and political successes cast wary eyes on foreign influences such as Greek philosophy. Yet they would come to see the need for philosophies such as Stoicism, Epicureanism, Platonism, and Aristotelianism to point the way to leading the good life.

Dr. John Abbarno, philosopher and President of the International Society of Value Inquiry, remarked that, “Belliotti's Roman Philosophy and the Good Life is brilliantly written! The work exposes the intricacies of historic events and the pivotal roles played by main characters, such as Cicero, Caesar, Epicurus and Seneca. Unlike many books on the classics, Belliotti sustains the novel-like appeal throughout the book without compromising philosophical rigor.”

Influential Romans in the final days of the republic such as Caesar, Pompey, Cicero, Cato, Brutus, and Cassius were saturated with Roman traditions, customs, and expectations. They struggled valiantly with the often conflicting demands of seeking personal salvation, honoring philosophical conviction, and fulfilling patriotic duty. Later, during the building of the Roman empire, icons such as Seneca, Musonius Rufus, and Marcus Aurelius confronted the same conflicts but in different political contexts. Each of these men, whether operating in the republic or in the empire, arrived at different tentative resolutions to those conflicts. This book chronicles their story.

Dr. Harvey Siegel, chairperson of philosophy at the University of Miami, commented that, “Belliotti's sweeping tale deftly combines history, politics, and ethics as it recounts the lives, characters and thoughts of the great Roman philosophers. He investigates the interactions between Roman philosophy and politics, while offering insightful evaluations of Skepticism, Stoicism, and Epicureanism and their competing conceptions of the good life. An enjoyable and informative read.”

Belliotti has written nine other books addressing issues in jurisprudence, sexual ethics, ethnic identity, Nietzsche, the meaning of life, human happiness, philosophy and baseball, and Machiavelli.