 Cicero clearly expects his readers to notice these moves. One might say that to announce loudly that one is closing down debate is itself to initiate a debate. Cicero thus uses the notion of uniformity of outlook both to illustrate and critique a crucial feature of the theory he is advocating. The idea of natural law is precisely the idea that there is a universal set of normative principles of equal applicability in all contexts. If that idea is correct, then there is no room for divergence of opinion about what justice is. At the same time, Cicero’s dismissal of the Epicurean and sceptical viewpoints reminds us that, in the real world as opposed to the ideal one of perfected reason, there are competing and critical opinions, and that the universalist theory is itself a product of a particular philosophical school (Stoicism).