Rover, Chiara
Junior Fellow: October 2022–March 2023
Research Project: The Sceptical Criticism of Dogmatic Theologies in Cicero’s De natura deorum
Is doubting one’s religion an instance of scepticism? Meeting the challenge launched by this question, this project aims to investigate the delicate (and multi-faceted) relationship between scepticism(s) and religion, starting from a survey of Cicero’s De natura deorum. In this crucial dialogue, the theological doctrines pursued by the Epicurean and Stoic schools are systematically questioned and refuted by Cotta, the spokesman of the “sceptical” Academy. This work will focus on the interesting and quite curious “interpenetration” and “interaction” between Academic and Pyrrhonian scepticism that emerges from Cotta’s replies to the Epicurean Velleius and the Stoic Balbus. The project also aims to provide an opportunity to examine and appreciate the benefits of sceptical practices in the religious sphere.
Chiara Rover is a teaching assistant at Sapienza Università di Roma.