Cicero and Libertarianism

Abstract

In this essay, I focus on Cicero as the father of libertarian private property entitlements and how his position on that matter connects to his outlook on natural law, the common good, the primary function of the state, and the class structure of Roman society. Finally, I provide a summary evaluation of Cicero’s aristocratic conservatism that concludes that, unfortunately, at times even the greatest Romans forgot that where human beings are concerned our most resplendent excellences, if torqued too tightly, can degenerate into our most vile shortcomings.