Opinion: don't make the same mistake as the Romans, listen to Cicero to save us from populism and authoritarianism
Consider two historical figures from Ancient Rome: Julius Caesar and Marcus Tullius Cicero. They were contemporaries, Caesar being only six years younger than Cicero. They grew up in the same circles in Rome and had successful political careers, both serving as 'consuls', the highest elected political position in Rome at the time.
If it were a popularity contest, Caesar would win hands down. Still today in the public imagination Julius Caesar towers over Cicero. Caesar is the undisputed, heavy-weight, universally recognised face of Ancient Rome. Everyone has heard of Julius Caesar, while Cicero is largely forgotten.
The esteem and admiration for Julius Caesar defies time and logic. He has, and always has had, a cult following, notwithstanding his dictatorial tendencies. Or perhaps because of them. Caesar became ‘dictator’ for five years between 49 and 44 BC, and had he not been assassinated he would have kept the title of dictator perpetuo. Of his military campaign in Gaul, modern-day France and Germany, it has been said that the brutality, annihilation and devastation he masterminded was probably unequalled until the conquest of the Americas.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's The Nine O'Clock Show, UCC's Dr Vittorio Bufacchi on 'Why Cicero Matters'
Today we would not dream of admiring a modern dictator guilty of genocide, but we seem to make an exception for Julius Caesar, who to this day retains the approval of many aspiring politicians. Caesar was a despot, a ruthless autocrat, while Cicero stood for the rule of law, the politics of compromise, and constitutional practice. And yet today, compared to Caesar, Cicero is virtually unknown. Once admired and revered, Cicero is overlooked, misunderstood and generally unappreciated, condemned to play a minor role in the story of Ancient Rome, just as his character did in Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar.
The time has come to re-evaluate Cicero, to restore his reputation. Today, in the 21st Century, we desperately need Cicero as a role model for citizens and politicians. He was Ancient Rome’s greatest philosopher, with legendary political integrity and incorruptible honesty. His devotion to the common good unsurpassed.
Throughout his political life, Cicero fought against anti-democratic, populist, authoritarian forces. Eventually he succumbed to his enemies, but he died defending the Roman Republic and the rule of law against ‘dictators’ like Julius Caesar. More than 2000 years ago Cicero argued that culture ought to be the foundation of any republic, and books its building blocks. Today, as populist fuelled anti-intellectualism once again runs rampant, Cicero’s message remains pertinent and urgent.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Drivetime, why are men so obsessed with the Roman Empire? Dr Martin Worthington, Associate Professor at Trinity College Dublin and expert in Ancient History explains
It was a wave of authoritarian populism that ultimately brought the Roman Republic to its knees, and a similar fate may befall our modern democracies. Notwithstanding the many discrepancies between first-century BC Rome and our twenty-first century, and all the pitfalls associated with naïve, simplistic comparisons, there is one resemblance between the world of Cicero and our world today that cannot be overlooked: these are dangerous times we live in, not dissimilar from what Cicero experienced in Rome in his time.
In Europe, modern democracy is still only a green shoot, having emerged from the horrors of the Second World War. The Roman Republic lasted for the best part of 500 years, and yet it came to an end with the death of Cicero. Liberal democracy has been around a lot less than the Roman Republic, and being younger it is perhaps also more fragile. Today our modern democracies face their most daunting test in many years. We must never be complacent about our democracy, nor take it for granted. Although Cicero was unable to save the Roman Republic from populism and authoritarianism, there are still many lessons we can learn from him today to avoid making the same mistake as our Roman ancestors.
Cicero believed that strong, just institutions, embodied in the rule of law, constitutional procedures, and a system of checks and balances, were the best antidote against authoritarian populism. But citizens must play their part too. He believed that greed, which can take the form of lust for money or for power, was the source of all injustice, and the biggest threat to any democracy. Cicero argued that all citizens have a duty to pursue truth and to uphold justice. He contended that the common good always trumps private interests, and that being active in the social and political life of the republic is the best way to promote the common good.
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From RTÉ News, were the Romans ever in Ireland? (An RTÉ News broadcast on 22 January 1996)
He also recommended two strategies for countering the appeal of populism. First, by creating a sense of solidarity and community amongst citizens. Too many people today are unable, or unwilling, to see each other as fellow citizens pursuing a common goal, instead they prioritise narrow-minded interests spurred by a divisive, parochial sense of identity.
Secondly, Cicero argued that justice and trust cannot flourish where inequalities abound. Liberty is the central notion of any republic, but liberty is not enough; as Cicero reminds us: "nothing can be sweeter than liberty. Yet if it isn’t equal throughout, it isn’t liberty at all". One of the problems with our modern society is not only the growing inequalities within each nation state, but also the inequality across nation states. Global neoliberal policies of austerity have exasperated the problem.
Modern democracies are not immune from the populist threat. To some extent we are the architects of our own downfall. We need to go back to basics, which is where Cicero comes in. There is a simple message we can take from Cicero’s philosophical works and political experience: greed, inequality and corruption are the oxygen on which populism and authoritarianism thrives. To save our democracy we need to tackle these social and political cancers.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
