RockneCAST
RockneCAST
Rockne Cole
Brian McNeil: Cicero and the Pursuit of Happiness (#364, 26 June 2026)
42 minutes Posted Jun 26, 2026 at 6:26 pm.
0:00
42:57
Download MP3
Show notes

Brian McNeil, classics scholar, and Cicero enthusiast, joins the RockneCast once again. In this episode, we explore the Cicero's concept of "happiness", and the good life.


Cicero was a Roman statesman, orator, lawyer and philosopher of happiness. He also heavily influenced the thinking of our nation's Founders, especially Thomas Jefferson and his famous phrase from the Declaration of Independence: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.


What did Jefferson mean by that? What did Cicero mean by "happiness"?


In this episode, Brian and I explore those questions through the lens of Cicero.