Question

PLEASE HELP!!

Read the excerpt from Cicero's De Officis and respond to the question that follows

“... men seek riches partly to supply the needs of life, partly to secure the enjoyment of pleasure. The dangers of ambition. With those who cherish higher ambitions, the desire for wealth is entertained with a view to power and influence and the means of bestowing favours; Marcus Crassus, for example, not long since declared that no amount of wealth was enough for the man who aspired to be the foremost citizen of the state, unless with the income from it he could maintain an army. Fine establishments and the comforts of life in elegance and abundance also afford pleasure, and the desire to secure it gives rise to the insatiable thirst for wealth. Still, I do not mean to find fault with the accumulation of property, provided it hurts nobody, but unjust acquisition of it is always to be avoided. The great majority of people, however, when they fall a prey to ambition for either military or civil authority, are carried away by it so completely that they quite lose sight of the claims of justice."

In a response of 3-5 sentences, use the TIE method to identify the central idea of this passage. Your response should address the topic, the supporting information, and a statement of the central idea.

Answer 1

The central idea of this passage is that the accumulation of wealth is not inherently wrong, but unjust acquisition and the neglect of justice are to be avoided.

Step-by-step explanation:

The central idea of this excerpt from Cicero's De Officis is that while accumulating wealth is not inherently wrong, it becomes dangerous when it leads to unjust acquisition and the neglect of justice.

Cicero explains that people seek wealth for different reasons - to meet their basic needs, to enjoy pleasure, or to gain power and influence.

However, the pursuit of wealth should not come at the expense of others or the abandonment of moral principles.