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Marcus Aurelius: Philosophy
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Marcus Aurelius is most remembered for the collection of his thoughts or reflections usually entitled The Meditations. Apparently written down from time to time, the thoughts form no organized system of philosophy. Rather, they are the record of a person whose principles were noble, who had a warm love of humankind, and who had a philosophy similar to religion. To Marcus, happiness was to be achieved by living "according to nature," in harmony with the principle that ordered the universe; the peace of mind of such a person could not be affected by life's difficulties.
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Marcus Aurelius has been lauded for his capacity "to write down what was in his heart just as it was, not obscured by any consciousness of the presence of listeners or any striving after effect." Gilbert Murray compares him to Rousseau and St. Augustine and their Confessions. Though Murray criticizes Marcus for the "harshness and plainness of his literary style," he finds in his Meditations "as much intensity of feeling...as in most of the nobler modern books of religion, only [with] a sterner power controlling it." "People fail to understand Marcus," he writes, "not because of his lack of self-expression, but because it is hard for most men to breathe at that intense height of spiritual life, or, at least, to breathe soberly."[1] D.A. Rees calls the Meditations "unendingly moving and inspiring", but does not offer them up as works of original philosophy.[2] Bertrand Russell found them contradictory and inconsistent, evidence of a "tired age" where "even real goods lose their savour." Using Marcus as an example of greater Stoic philosophy, he found their ethical philosophy to contain an element of "sour grapes". "We can't be happy, but we can be good; let us therefore pretend that, so long as we are good, it doesn't matter being unhappy."[3] Both Russell and Rees find an element of Marcus' Stoic philosophy in Kant's own philosophical system.[4][2]
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What arguments does Aurelius offer to help people accept death? How persuasive do you find them? How does this philosophy emphasize the independence of the individual? Does this emphasis on the individual result in selfishness? What theme does Aurelius share with the poem by Horace in this volume?
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In his domestic policy Marcus Aurelius was a champion of the poor, for whom he founded schools, orphanages, and hospitals and alleviated the burden of taxes. He ... tried to humanize criminal laws and the treatment of slaves by their masters. As a philosopher he is remembered for his Meditations, a compendium of 12 books of moral precepts written in Greek. The work, an important formulation of the philosophy of Stoicism, reveals his belief that the moral life leads to tranquillity, and stresses the virtues of wisdom, justice, fortitude, and moderation.
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The reason for which Marcus Aurelius deservedly is most remembered is the collection of his thoughts or reflections, usually entitled the Meditations. Apparently jotted down from time to time as inclination or opportunity offered, the thoughts form no organized system of philosophy; rather, they are the record of a spirit whose principles were elevated above the somewhat grim rectitude of stoicism by a warm love of mankind and a philosophy closely akin to religion.
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Aurelius' opinions in central philosophical questions are very similar to those found in the teachings of Epictetus (c. 55-135 AD). Epictetus' two basic principles were Endure and Abstain. He stressed that inner freedom is to be attained through submission to providence, as well as to rigorous detachment from everything not within mankind's own power. Aurelius' own work echoes the philosophy:
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