Cicerone testimone e interprete della letteratura socratica

Cicero is one of the most important witnesses of Socratic literature. His writings contain textual units of otherwise lost Socratic dialogues, some of which are of fundamental importance for reconstructing the conceptions of Socrates' lesser-known companions. For Cicero, Socrates and the Socratics are at the origin, but also at the height, of Greek philosophy. Socrates represents an example of virtue, eloquence, and argumentative method. The only aspect that Cicero criticises of Socrates is the separation between philosophy and oratory, which is evident in several Platonic dialogues. Cicero claims that philosophy and oratory must instead be harmonised: just as the philosopher must have oratorical skills, the orator must have a sound philosophical training.