Статтю присвячено рецепції грецької філософії в Римі і типу римського філософування періоду
кінця республіки. У центрі уваги перший в історії європейської культури досвід утворення власної
філософської традиції шляхом так званої імплантації (або трансферу) – отримання готового культурного продукту від "батьківщини філософії". Цей досвід розглянуто як невідокремну складову
процесу культурної еллінізації латинського Заходу, що став наслідком входження Риму до системи
елліністичної цивілізації. Автор намагається побачити місце, яке зайняла філософія як "чужорідне
тіло" в організмі римського соціуму, і торкається питань про сполучення адаптації, наслідування
і креативності в цьому досвіді та специфіки феномену philosophia togata.
The article researches the phenomenon of so-called philosophia togata examining such issues as the
emergence of Roman philosophy during one of the most exciting periods in Roman history. It considers the
themes being a subject for study for a long time: the processes of social-psychological and cultural changes
in Rome in Hellenistic age, the significance and extent of Greek influence, the new Roman life-styles and
the reception of the philosophical doctrines of Greek thinkers such as Stoics, Epicureans and other
philosophical schools. To my opinion, it is a subject on which there are still important and interesting
questions to be asked and many worthwhile things to be said. An attempt is made to combine history of
philosophy with history of culture and to place Roman philosophy and philosophers in a cultural context of
Hellenization of Latin west and Roman response to this challenge. Focusing on topics such as Roman
attitudes towards Greek culture, images of Greeks in Italy, crises of traditional values of mores maiorum,
Roman intelligentsia, the article considers practices of philosophy in Rome as phenomenon of restricted
identification or participation as a result of negative assessment of philosophy as otium in Roman society.
An emphasis is made on the paradoxical status of philosophy in the Roman way of life and in the
contradictions of playing the role of a Roman philosopher.
The traditional roman mentality was scandalized by advent of Greek philosophers to Italy and strongly
opposed to the first attempts of transplantation of philosophy into social organism of civitas. Roman
authorities viewed Greek visitors and their intellectual shows, foreign ideas in general as a serious danger
for mores maiorum and a kind of so-called nova flagitia. The expulsion of philosophers followed several
times during the 2nd century B.C. It took hundreds of years to overcome the general prejudice and to
legalize philosophy in Rome not only as tolerated otium cum dignitate but needful and commonly respected
medicina animae. As we can see, wars against philosophy took place from time to time not only in republican
period, but also during Early Empire, under the principate regime.
So, the process of appropriation of philosophy by Roman cultural elite was slow, often frustrated and
essentially limited being localized in private life and non-formal contacts in social microgroups (amical
circles). Its territory was Roman otium (leisure as a part of traditional Roman way of life) and it met
negative public and official assessment that cannot be ignored by aristocratic elite in this so-called shame
culture. The representatives and enthusiasts of philosophy (for example Cicero) had to justify their
philosophical conversion. Therefore the Roman soul was divided in its own reactions towards alien
philosophy and felt uneasiness in practicing it. The conduct of its Roman adepts is often very different and
depends on various social contexts and situations.
We consider the antagonism between Roman philhellenism and traditionalism in general not as a struggle
of two cultural (or even political) parties but as an inner conflict of two elements of divided Roman psyche
which determines the phenomenon of restricted participation in philosophical pursuit during the period of
Roman cultural history viewed here.