Cicero's state: Between law, utility and duty

Abstract

The paper examines Marcus Tullius Cicero's definition of the state (res publica) as it is presented in his work On the Commonwealth. After discussing some of the key terms (res publica, civitas, ius, lex), the paper focuses on two chief elements which make Cicero's definition of the state and, within it, his definition of the people: community of interest (utilitas communione) and agreement on law (iuris consensus). It is argued that Cicero's view of the state is reinforced by his account of natural law and natural human order. The state is seen as a kind of natural partnership in which all members have to play their social roles and are given authority, responsibilities, and rewards according to their social standing.

Rad se bavi određenjem države (res publica) koje u svom delu Država nudi Marko Tulije Ciceron. Pored razmatranja nekoliko ključnih pojmova (res publica, civitas, ius, lex), u radu se analiziraju dva glavna elementa koja čine Ciceronovu definiciju države i, unutar nje, naroda: zajednička korist (utilitas communione) i saglasnost u pravu (iuris consensus). Ciceronovo shvatanje države podržano je njegovim viđenjem prirodnog prava i prirodnog ljudskog poretka. Država se posmatra kao vrsta prirodnog partnerstva u kome svi članovi imaju obavezu da učestvuju, ali gde dobijaju ovlašćenja, odgovornosti i nagrade u skladu sa svojim društvenim statusom.