In general, the eclecticism, a philosophy defined wise, practiced by the first men of genius long before to have a name, remained buried in oblivion until the end of the sixteenth century. Then, Nature, long time remained dazed and almost exhausted, made an effort and eventually fathered men loyal to the most beautiful human prerogative, freedom of thought; and they saw the rebirth of eclectic philosophy by Giordano Bruno, Francis Bacon, Tommaso Campanella, René Descartes, Thomas Hobbes, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, etc. [...]

Examining the contents of the eclectic philosophy, we note, by consulting the Encyclopedia Laterza, that Denis Diderot recuperates the concept that, in the philosophical tradition, has almost always had a negative connotation, and that is still often seen as a synonym for lack of originality , more or less indiscriminate collection of other people's material. Eclectism, however, for Diderot, means to deal with the variety of reality without wanting to flatten necessarily in the homogeneity of a "system". It means working methodically to find the link that exists between the isolated "truth" and engage systematically in this search, following the path traced by the "freedom of thought", "experience and reason" and from which it is impossible to deviate.

The eclectic is a philosopher who, trampling on prejudice, tradition, antiquity, the universal consent, authority, in short everything that subjugates the soul of the common people, dares to think for themselves, go back to the general principles more clear, examine, debate, refraining them from admitting anything without the test of experience and reason; that, after having examined all the philosophies in unscrupulous and impartial manner, dare to make one of its own, private and domestic; I say "a private and domestic philosophy," because the eclectic aims not so much to be the tutor as the pupil of the human race, to reform not so much the others but as well himself, not so much to teach as to learn the truth.

The eclectic does not collect truths randomly; he does not leave them isolated; and even less he  persists in locating them in some given plan: when he has examined and admitted a principle, the proposition that immediately follows, in his focus, or is linked clearly to that principle, or does not link at all, or it is the opposite. In the first case he considers it true; in the second suspends judgment until intermediate concepts between the examined proposition and the admitted principle can either the connection or the opposition to such a principle; in the latter case it rejects it as false.

Philosopher Cicero composed many books, written mostly in the 'two-year period, between 46 and 44 BC when Caesar's victory forced him to stay away from political life and the death of the daughter Tullia urged him to seek in philosophy a medicine for the soul.

Consulting the portal ‘Philosophical thought’, until a few years ago you would answer the question of whether Cicero was an eclectic, that is, if he built his philosophy putting together pieces taken from various schools, asserting that the answer was very close to incoherence. In fact, Cicero seems to sympathize on several occasions with the various schools of philosophy, except cynicism and Epicureanism.

Cicero within his philosophical thought moves ‘testing the soil’ already tilled by the various schools of philosophy; he does it skillfully by exploiting the materials available, mainly of academic source but also stoic. For him, it's not so important to set absolute truths as to establish the foundations that can guarantee the action without worrying too much about the overall coherence of the individual thesis. The probabilistic approach naturally leads to the eclecticism of the sources, which are made all merge, with the only exception of Epicureism, in one project of ethical-political nature.

The eclecticism of Cicero, while tilting generally for the neo-academic probabilism of Philo of Larissa and Antiochus of Ascalon, admits in turn from the various schools, and especially from Stoicism single doctrinal elements. Hence arises the concept of eclecticism that characterizes Roman philosopher Cicero: moreover he adopts, each time the positions that appear valid and convincing, without adhering to a senile doctrine, but assuming towards all an open attitude, but also independent and critical. (GB Conte, 'Latin Literature', Le Monnier, Florence 2003, vol 2 p. 20).

 Cicero's philosophical eclecticism obey the requirements of a rigorous method, which seeks to establish a dialogue between the different doctrines from which be banned any polemical spirit. The author's philosophical works presuppose a vast domain of matter and have an original cut especially as regards the adaptation of the Greek thought to the situation in Rome.