The philosopher on the throne is one of the nicknames given to Marcus Aurelius in scientific circles. He is also called the last of the Stoics, because his scientific work was created on the basis of the beliefs of Stoicism. The school of stoicism subsequently merged with the Neoplatonists.
One of the most famous works of philosophy was the collection of thoughts “Alone with oneself” or “To oneself” by Marcus Aurelius. Photos of the monument to the emperor, which still stands on the territory of Rome, are presented in our article. The ideas of this thinker are popular today.
Who is Marcus Aurelius
This is the Roman emperor, who, in addition to administering the state (he shared this function with his named brother Verus Lucius), was engaged in philosophy. The Emperor at one time received an excellent education, successfully engaged in government activities, and in between campaigns kept a diary, which he called "Reflections" without the intention of publication. However, the thoughts set forth in it have great philosophical value and in many respects influenced further philosophical theories.
His adoptive father Antonin Pius had a great influence on him.
Reign of Marcus Aurelius
The reign of the emperor was accompanied by numerous wars and skirmishes. For example, in 162, an uprising broke out in Britain, which was successfully crushed. In the same year, there were many battles with the Hutts.
Also in 162, the war with the Parthians began, at the end of which in 166 Armenia was subordinated to Rome. After 166, a protracted exhausting war began with the Marcoman and Quads. The Moroccan war dragged on until 175, led first to the seizure of Roman lands by Germanic tribes, and then to the conquest of their own possessions by the Romans. At this time, the co-ruler of Marcus Aurelius Lucius Ver. Mark made his son Commodus his co-ruler.
In December 176, one of the stages of the war was completed, the result of which Mark described as a relative victory.
And in 177, the barbarians again went on the offensive. However, this turned out to be less successful for them. The Romans completely defeated the barbarians, and then went on the offensive beyond the banks of the Danube.
The reign of Marcus Aurelius was accompanied not only by wars, but also by an epidemic of plague, which claimed many lives of the Romans, including the life of the emperor himself.
The childhood and youth of Marcus Aurelius
Mark was born on April 26, 121. His parents were Annius Ver and Domitius Lucilla. After the death of his father, Mark was adopted by his grandfather Annius Ver.
Mark received a good home education, various scientists and philosophers studied with him. From an early age, Mark participated in the public life of Rome, fulfilling the instructions of the emperor Hadrian. And at the age of six he was able to get the title of Roman horseman, two years later he joined the Sally College.
Since adolescence, Marcus Aurelius has been organizing feasts and orgies.
Emperor Hadrian, seeing the success of his organizational and other activities, wanted to make him his heir. However, this prevented the young age of Mark. Then Adrian transferred power to Antoninus Pius with the condition that after his reign Mark would inherit the emperor’s title.
Adulthood and State Administration
From the age of 18, Mark lived in the palace of the emperor, and from 19 he already became consul.
Mark's education was brilliant. He had a great command of oratory, and also had a deep knowledge of civil law and legal sciences. In his youth, he was engaged in rhetoric, and later philosophy became his interest.
In 145, Mark married Faustina, the daughter of Antoninus Pius.
Since 161, Mark became the official ruler of Rome, making his co-ruler first Lucius Vera, and then (after his death) his son Commodus.
Mark dealt with both internal events and problems of the Roman Empire, as well as with external ones. A significant event during his reign was not only the Marcoman war, which he waged until victory, not surrendering under the onslaught of the barbarians, taking all measures to eliminate the enemy and seize his lands. Also an important event during the reign of Mark was the flood that occurred during the Tiber flood.
As for his undertakings, of course, he founded the Department of Philosophy in Athens. He also carried out reforms on gladiatorial battles, making them much less cruel, as his goal was to encourage people to do good and mercy.
Mark, as is known from the sources, was distinguished by a calm disposition; in almost any situation, he remained calm and able to work.
Moreover, in addition to state activity, he wrote a lot and created philosophical works.
During the epidemic, the emperor contracted the plague; in the last years of his reign, he suffered from this ailment. The plague inflicted a lot of suffering on him, however, even when he fell ill, he remained faithful to his principles, conducting military campaigns and participating in campaigns. In 180, he died, leaving the heir to his son Commodus.
The personality of Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius, despite the fact that he was raised in an environment that promotes entertainment and the pursuit of pleasures, was distinguished by a strong spirit and a penchant for asceticism.
Nevertheless, he was a big fan of Roman traditional rituals and festivals.
Contemporaries spoke of him as a very balanced person, persistent, but not callous, calm, but at the same time quite lively and moderately emotional.
The emperor was distinguished by his iron will and desire to steadfastly follow his principles. His breadth of thinking largely determined the style of his rule and the will to win.
What is stoicism
Marcus Aurelius adhered to the views of Stoicism - a philosophical school, the main points of which were:
- loyalty to their principles and ideals;
- performance of a duty (and not only a duty to others, but to oneself);
- humility with their fate;
- acceptance of the inevitable without resistance and indignation.
The Stoics believed that hedonism did not lead to anything good and promoted something close to asceticism, but without fanaticism. The pursuit of pleasures makes a person weak and prone to various affects, and his passions begin to control him. Freedom in understanding the Stoics is not permissiveness and the race for pleasures. Freedom was perceived as awareness, including awareness of one’s duty to society, which created a person as he is.
A sense of duty becomes the inner core of a person who receives the will to act regardless of circumstances.
The Stoics did not pay attention to ethnic differences between people, believing that all people belong to one common human race. The Stoics declared themselves citizens of the whole world, in other words, cosmopolitans.
The Stoics placed great emphasis on the study of the laws of physics in order to know the reality of things and objects. And in order to know the reality of words and concepts, they emphasized the study of logic.
Marcus Aurelius is considered one of the last Stoics. The book of Marcus Aurelius "To Yourself" (according to reviews) is considered a classic example of the philosophy of Stoicism.
The Stoics during the reign of Aurelius were very popular among the citizens of Rome.
The book "Alone with yourself"
Marcus Aurelius kept a diary during his life. And already after the death of the Roman emperor, his records were found, which amounted to as many as 12 books, united by the general name "Alone with Himself." Marcus Aurelius was not going to publish his books. It was a personal diary, which was published by his descendants. The most famous work of Marcus Aurelius was also found, it was called "Reflections."
Mark's notes impress with the idea of ​​the transience of everything that exists, as well as the monotony and routine of each person’s life. After all, he has been given so little time to really do something worthwhile. And everything that everyone does remains meaningless from the point of view of eternity.
Even posthumous glory has no real value in itself, because it is also short-lived. At first, the events are fresh in memory, then they begin to become like a myth, then they are overgrown with speculation and soon they are almost completely forgotten or so modified that nothing remains of the original memory.
All this could be called a pessimistic outlook on life, if it were not for the spiritual support of Aurelius - faith in a higher whole, from which everything originates, everything ends with it. This single whole rules the world and gives meaning to everything that happens, creating any life and taking it back.
Key points
The content of "To Yourself" by Marcus Aurelius is very interesting even for the school of Stoicism. Many ideas were new and fresh, contributing to the development of the philosophical thought of antiquity. The contents of the book of Marcus Aurelius "To Yourself" allows you to think about many things of your own life.
The main points of this scientific work are as follows:
- Human life is very short and insignificant in terms of time.
- The body is perishable and prone to destruction.
- Fate is mysterious, and no one can read it in advance or predetermine it.
- Sensations are vague and do not reflect reliable reality.
- Posthumous fame does not matter, so memory is short-lived and changeable.
- Do not give vent to negative emotions and indulge in excessive annoyance, since everything in this world is short-lived.
- It’s not worth blaming anyone for failure but yourself. And you’re not worth it either.
- Many human problems exist only in his mind. And you can change your mood simply by changing your mindset. It is not the thing or phenomenon itself that brings grief, but the judgment about that thing or phenomenon.
- Nothing in this world is worthy of excessive surprise. Everything that happens does not happen by chance, but naturally.
- Everything in this world is created from a common source and aspires to it.
- A sense of duty and justice are those feelings that should govern a person and his activities.
- With all your heart you need to love those people with whom you are destined to live this life.
- You need to always look for virtues in those who are near you.
- You need to take everything that happens to you, understanding that nothing happens by chance, and everything is fair.
All this allows us to look at life with humility. These beliefs influenced the life of the ruler himself, giving him the wisdom and willpower necessary for governing the state. Marcus Aurelius's "Reasoning About Himself" was also distinguished by courage and originality.
The main purpose of man
It is the presence of a common single whole from which everything has emerged that dictates to people the ways of life in this world and moral principles.
It is important for a person to understand what is happening to him. This is what science is for.
It is also important to follow moral values, which are justice, mercy, courage and prudence. You should live and work for the good of society, fulfilling your moral duty. A man should not be different, but first of all to himself.
What is moral duty
Moral duty is one of the basic concepts of Aurelius philosophy. And it consists in the fact that a person is free to choose between good and evil.
“To oneself” - the thoughts of Marcus Aurelius about his own moral duty, as well as about the moral duty of other people.
The main task of everyone living on earth is to realize and weigh everything consciously, and not under the influence of external factors, to make their choice in favor of goodness and mercy. Reason (according to Aurelius) is the main tool helping to make the right choice.
Marcus Aurelius identifies the mind as an independent element of the human person. Prior to this, representatives of the school of stoicism noted only the spirit and body.
Acceptance and Humility
Accepting life as it is, without trying to resent what is happening, also, according to Aurelius, comes from the mind. Because it is logical. It is necessary to lead a life in harmony with one's own nature, not comparing it with anyone else and not fantasizing on the topic of how it could be.
Nothing in this world happens against the nature of things. Both life and death must be taken for granted.
Emperor's aspirations
Mark was, in a sense, an idealist. During the reign, he sought to create an ideal state according to Plato. The state of philosophers and thinkers was his dream. Many scientists and philosophers, whose thoughts were shared by the emperor, became consuls during his reign and took various government posts.
Marcus Aurelius did not just want citizens to obey his ruler. He wanted the consciousness of people in the state, their service to good and justice. The book of Marcus Aurelius, "Alone with himself," reflects his aspirations, which he tried to realize in a state subject to him.
Patron of the weak
During the epidemic, Mark did a lot for the sick.
The ruler also created many reforms related to providing citizens who, for some reason, cannot take care of themselves on their own.
The sick and crippled lived at the expense of taxpayers, which were the able-bodied population of Rome.
In the book of Marcus Aurelius, "Alone with himself," there are also reflections on the topic of justice and duty to society.
Also, during the reign of Mark, many shelters were opened, as well as primary educational institutions.