Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius (121-180).

Major Ideas

– The Universe is governed by reason, which is God.

– In a rational universe, everything that happens is not only necessitated but good.

– Human happiness consists in a life lived in accordance with nature and reason.

– Though his actions are necessitated, an individual becomes free by acting rationally.

– The bad acts of others do not harm us; rather we are harmed by our own opinions about those acts.

– All rational beings are subject to rational law and so are citizens of a world community.

– The rational individual should have no fear of death, because it is a natural event of life.

Biography

Marcus Aurelius was born in 121.

His early education was overseen by the Emperor Hadrian, and he was later adopted by the Emperor Antoninus Pius in 138. After an initial education in rhetoric undertaken by Fronto, Marcus later abandoned it in favor of philosophy.

Marcus became Emperor himself in 161, initially alongside Lucius Verus, becoming sole Emperor in 169. Continual attacks meant that much of his reign was spent on campaign, especially in central Europe. However, he did find time to establish four Chairs of Philosophy in Athens, one for each of the principal philosophical traditions (Platonic, Aristotelian, Stoic, and Epicurean).

He died in 180.

Major Works of Marcus Aurelius

– Meditations

Related:

• Epictetus
• Stoicism
• Plotinus
• Alfred North Whitehead
• William Godwin

Videos

Related Products

 

Meditations: A New Translation

• Modern Library
• Aurelius, Marcus (Author)
• English (Publication Language)
• 256 Pages - 05/06/2003 (Publication Date) - Modern Library (Publisher)

Check Price on Amazon

 

Meditations: The Philosophy Classic (Capstone Classics)

• Hardcover Book
• Aurelius, Marcus (Author)
• English (Publication Language)
• 192 Pages - 02/10/2020 (Publication Date) - Capstone (Publisher)

Check Price on Amazon

 

Meditations (Deluxe Hardbound Edition)

• Hardcover Book
• Aurelius, Marcus (Author)
• English (Publication Language)
• 202 Pages - 01/01/2018 (Publication Date) - General Press (Publisher)

Check Price on Amazon

 

How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius

• Hardcover Book
• Robertson, Donald (Author)
• English (Publication Language)
• 304 Pages - 04/02/2019 (Publication Date) - St. Martin's Press (Publisher)

Check Price on Amazon

 

Meditations

• Amazon Kindle Edition
• Aurelius, Marcus (Author)
• English (Publication Language)
• 160 Pages - 05/08/2020 (Publication Date) - knowledge house (Publisher)

Check Price on Amazon

 

Meditations

• George Long classic translation of Marcus Aurelius Meditations
• Aurelius, Marcus (Author)
• English (Publication Language)
• 88 Pages - 04/25/2017 (Publication Date) - CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (Publisher)

Check Price on Amazon

 

The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living

• The Daily Stoic 366 Meditations on Wisdom Perseverance and the Art of Living
• Hardcover Book
• Holiday, Ryan (Author)
• English (Publication Language)
• 416 Pages - 10/18/2016 (Publication Date) - Portfolio (Publisher)

Check Price on Amazon

 

Meditations

• Aurelius, Marcus (Author)
• English (Publication Language)
• 146 Pages - 11/01/2018 (Publication Date) - CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (Publisher)

Check Price on Amazon

 

3 Reviews

Imperium - Vespasian: The Path to Power

• Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
• Alun Armstrong (Actor)
• Tony Bulley (Director) - Tony Bulley (Writer) - James Millar (Producer)
• English (Playback Language)
• English (Subtitle)

Check Price on Amazon

 

The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations

• The Emperor s Handbook A New Translation of The Meditations
• Hardcover Book
• Aurelius, Marcus (Author)
• English (Publication Language)
• 160 Pages - 11/05/2002 (Publication Date) - Scribner (Publisher)

Check Price on Amazon

Last update 2020-05-25. Price and product availability may change.