Who is Marcus Aurelius? What did he do to make his mark in the pages of history? Why did the people of Rome respect and admire him? To the common person, Marcus was just a man who was an emperor of Rome and just another person who helped shaped this world. Marcus Aurelius was more than that! Anthony Birley writes, “The acquaintance of a man like Marcus Aurelius is an imperishable benefit.” The character of Marcus Aurelius is truly special, but was molded by many important people and figures
The Meditations Marcus Aurelius was a famous philosopher in 121 through 180 C.E. He lived a hard life and even though he was surrounded by crowds he was considered a recluse. He was known for his kindness and mercy. The last years of his life were spent on a military campaign. It is said that these years were the hardest and loneliest. However, instead of becoming bitter and angry Aurelius wrote The Meditations. This was a diary or journal of his personal thoughts. He believed that by writing this
Stoicism made the transition from an intriguing foreign philosophy to a popular practice because it was taken up by several high profile figures. Scipio Africanus, the original esteemed Roman Stoic died in 129 BCE, but about 40 years later a new crop of celebrated Romans took up the Stoic practice. During the fall of the Roman Republic a group of famed orators, generals, and statesmen including Marcus Junius Brutus (85-42 BCE), Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BCE), Pompey the Great (106-48 BCE),
Explanation and Analysis of Stoic Philosophy Stoicism is, without a doubt, one of the most widely misunderstood schools of Philosophy ever established and followed by a wide number of people. The common opinion of Stoic adherents is that they are merely cold, somber individuals dedicated to the idea that happiness is evil, emotion is to be avoided at all costs and pleasure is wicked. Although they do stress control over strong emotions and that pleasure
knowledge pertaining to virtue is the resulting work of Stoics, such as Plato, Aristotle, and Marcus Aurelius. This knowledge is the foundation of Christianity's desire for virtue and immortality, but its pagan origin prevents this wisdom from reaching its full potential. Before an analysis of the relationship between Christianity and Stoicism can occur, an understanding of the fundamental values of Stoicism is necessary. Principally, Stoics believed that “every event that occurs in the cosmos- from
Marcus Aurelius Even today, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is read by every class from kings to common people. The book is a universal classic, meaning it can be related to at any time, by anyone. The philosophies included in his book have spanned the centuries, and Meditations remains to be one of the most influential books ever written. Marcus Aurelius was born on April 20, 121 AD into a family of royalty. His uncle and adoptive father, Antoninus Pius, was the emperor of Rome. Aurelius,
for many years before he returned to Athens to become the head of the Stoic school there. When he first came to Rome he met Scipio who was greatly interested in Panaetius’ Stoic ideas. Scipio introduced him to the Scipionic circle, which he became part of. It was the first literary circle of Rome composed of distinguished individuals, including Lucilius a famed satirist, and members of Scipio’s family. Panaetius taught his Stoic ideas to this esteemed group which essentially introduced Stoicism to
The Stoic Tradition In the approximate year of 320 B.C., one could be walking down the street with a high probability of passing a house where several men would be gathered out on the porch. It is likely that this was a gathering of individuals discussing philosophy. The gatherings became a more common occurrence, and since they would take place out on the porches, the school of philosophy derived from them takes its name from the Greek stoa, or porch. The ideology of that movement is henceforth
Four Romans—Lucretius, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus and Plotinus—were all advocates of various models of earlier Greek philosophy. The philosophical tradition is that of asking and answering questions: what are reality, being, the soul, and how do we know and gain understanding about these concepts? Such critical inquiries in turn lead to the metaphysical: the essence of God or the Supreme Being, the nature of man and the world, and is it even possible for man to ever know the scope and complexities
Plan of Investigation This investigation intends to answer the question of how stoicism impacted Roman beliefs, and will focus primarily on the period of time between 300 BCE to around 300 CE. This investigation will also cover basic stoic beliefs and practices, and will briefly look at stoicism when it first developed during the Hellenistic period. This will be accomplished through an examination of prevalent Roman individuals, and will look at the influence of stoicism on Roman culture; specifically