Marcus Aurelius: His Life and Meditations

Two Guys Searching For Truth On The Road That Never Ends...

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The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of moral crisis, maintain their neutrality - Dante Alighieri

In our forth episode on the Stoics, we enter into the world of Marcus Aurelius. A name that many have undoubtedly heard of, but can sometimes be misunderstood or overlooked amidst a packed Roman Emperor pool. But Marcus was different. He was a rare breed of Philosopher-Emperor and someone who, in the face of constant change, uncertainty, and restraint found freedom, happiness, and peace. He documented his inner thoughts in a journal that would later be called his Meditations, which unlike many of the works we have looked at thus far, was not intended for publication. In it, he speaks of those he is grateful for, those who have taught him so much, and those who allowed him to be the person he was.

Marcus also clearly spells out his version of Stoicism and builds on Seneca and Epictetus, as well as many others. He talks of our interconnectedness with the universe and the rational order of things. At length, he speaks of the temporary nature of fame and how little honor is in such a pursuit. He zooms in on everyday life, while also backing up and viewing ages, decades, centuries, and beyond all at once and tries to find the meaning of our existence and how to best live one's life. Lastly, we wrap up by contrasting his ideas with those of Plato's and Eastern Philosophy's Virtuous Ruler.

From here, we will have a two-episode series on AI, robotics, and philosophy and then begin our way working towards Contemporary Philosophy. We thank you all for your input in the polls, we will keep this in mind as we plan our episodes.

Always feel free to let us know what you think, or if you have any episode requests. We would love to hear from you in the comments or on Twitter! Thank you for listening and as always we’ll see you next time as we search for truth on the road that never ends!