De Officiis

De Officiis by Marcus Tullius Cicero, translated by Walter Miller, 202 pages

In De Officiis (literally "On Duties" or less literally "On Moral Obligations"), Cicero attempts a concise summary of his ethical views, in the form of a letter to his son studying at Athens.  The whole is divided into three parts, considering in turn whether an act is moral, whether an act is expedient, and what ought to be done when morality and expediency conflict.  His argument with regard to the last question is that they cannot conflict in reality, only in appearance - immorality is always inexpedient, and morality always expedient.

Tully's consideration of morality follows the traditional model of the four cardinal virtues - prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance - but "prudence" he considers a subset of "wisdom", founded on the quest for Truth, the highest of human aspirations and the first duty, but one which few can really pursue.  The other three he sees as necessary for sustaining human communities, without which, he maintains, no life worth living is possible.

The Loeb Classical Library edition includes the Latin original with the English translation on facing pages.