Stoicism in Ancient Rome: Philosophical Attitudes Toward Death and Mortality

Vaughan, Brisa

Item

Stoicism in Ancient Rome: Philosophical Attitudes Toward Death and Mortality

Vaughan, Brisa

Abstract

This paper will explore the fascinating and complex relationship between Roman values and Stoic philosophy during the late Roman Republic, and how Stoicism emerged as a saving philosophy for those struggling in the new regime by providing a moral and intellectual complement to the traditional Roman ethos of mos maiorum. Although Roman society and education expanded through military strength and ambition, political unrest arose during the final years of the Republic and eventually eroded their Republican ideals, leading to the establishment of emperors. In response to the fall of the Roman Republic, Stoic morality and teachings began to appeal to those Roman elites and intellectuals who were forced to grapple with the fall of Rome and the deteriorating moral landscape surrounding them. This study traces the assimilation of Stoicism into Roman thought, particularly through the writings and lives of Cicero, Cato the Younger, and later imperial figures who were influenced by Stoicism. Stoic philosophy, echoing traditional Roman virtue, offered an ethical perspective through which Romans could confront civic collapse and mortality, and reshaped responses to death, fate, and personal responsibility during a period of intense political and spiritual transformation.