The Nature of the Gods

What It's About

De Natura Deorum (On the Nature of the Gods) is a philosophical dialogue written around 45 BC, staging a debate between three speakers who each represent a major school of ancient thought: an Epicurean, a Stoic, and an Academic Skeptic. Each argues for and defends their school's position on whether the gods exist, what form they take, and whether they take any interest in human affairs.

Key Concepts

The dialogue lays out and critiques Epicurean theology, which holds that the gods exist but are indifferent to the world; Stoic theology, which presents a providential, rational deity that orders and sustains the cosmos; and the Academic Skeptic position, which questions whether either view can be known with certainty. Taken together, it stands as one of the fullest surviving records of ancient theological and cosmological debate.

About the Author

Cicero (106–43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, and orator, widely regarded as one of the finest public speakers of the late Roman Republic. Alongside his political and legal career, he wrote extensively on philosophy.

About This Edition

This is an 1877 translation by Charles Duke Yonge.