BZM1 Task 1. Arleen Echevarria
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BZM1 Task 1
Arleen Echevarria
Western Governors University
Introduction to Humanities
Dr. Michael Smith
January 27th, 2023
I.
Marcus Aurelius, born in 121 CE, wrote
Meditations
by himself and for himself based
on his own thoughts and stoic philosophy. This work was created in the classical
period of the Roman Empire, during a time of war and political evolution. The work
is heavily influenced by the historical events of its time mainly due to the creator
being emperor but also due to Marcus being a main figure in stoic philosophy. As the
adoptive son of Antonius Pius,
the second century CE Roman Emperor of Marcus
Aurelius is known during the present day for his many accomplishments as Emperor
during the Classical Period. During his reign after his father’s death, there were
attacks from Germany as well as attacks in Italy as well as Egypt, (Stanford,
paragraph 1). Marcus wrote
Meditations
during the final years of his military career,
so he was very heavily influenced by the political and historical events of this time.
Marcus touches upon his experiences throughout the
Meditations,
and also his
irritation with his associates’ faults, (Stanford, paragraph 3). influenced by the wars,
famines, and battles of the time. Yet, his accomplishments as Stoic philosopher
perhaps make him stand out more. Although history and philosophy both form part of
the humanities and are both equally deserving of respect, Marcus had a talent for his
philosophical thinking that outshines his years as emperor of Rome. Having a
grandfather as a role model since his father died young, Marcus learned many trades
such as fishing and hunting and had hobbies such as wrestling, (Causabon, paragraph
1). Since he learned such hobbies, Marcus stayed away from the extravagant lifestyle
and was considered to be meek, helping him to create his Book of Meditations which
explores the idea of self control. As Roman Emperor, Marcus had many slow wars
full of death, illness, and violence. Most notably, the battles against Germany. Rome
had pestilence and disease, partly caused by what Marcus’ brother had brought into
the empire, and partly brought upon by floods that had completely destroyed crops
such as grain,
(Causabon, paragraph 3).
Acting purely out of stoicism, he sold the
imperial jewels after these historic events in order to help to provide for the people.
This act of his demonstrated his support of the Roman citizens during this time and
proves that what Marcus speaks to himself in the Meditations was something he also
lived by in his day to day life. Marcus kept the Roman empire throughout these wars
and famine all while maintaining characteristics of the era such as democracy and
republic, balance, and humanism.
II.
The classical period can be characterized by many consistent themes that are seen
throughout art, philosophy, and other aspects of the humanities. These major themes
include humanism, polytheism, democracy and republic, reason, and truth. During the
time of the classical period, power was put into the hands of the people instead of
there being power in the hands of a few rulers. Marcus was very against dictatorship
and even mentions how he must not become ‘ceasarified,’ in reference to the tyrant
Julius Caesar, (Stanford, paragraph 2). This goes to show that this time period where
stoicism was on the rise was very heavily influenced by republic and democracy as
one of the pillars of the philosophy. The philosophers from this time period used logic
to navigate through humanism and psychological phenomena, much as Marcus does
so in his Meditations. In book 4, Marcus explores the psychology of humanism by
speaking to himself. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy mentions in paragraph
1 that in the 21st century, stoicism began to be utilized within cognitive behavioral
therapy, which is essentially restructuring one’s thinking in order to meet goals. He
explores his own human behavior and the observation of what his wisdom has granted
him. Of course, this work is raw in a sense, due to it being prepared more so as a
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personal journal and not as a piece to be published. But, it contains segments where
one can truly see how stoic and humble Marcus was. For example, in number 33 of
book 4, he poses the question to himself to imagine that all living things are connected
as one. One can be led to believe that his self questioning can be easily compared to
pantheism, which was prevalent mostly within stoicism. Of course, during this time,
pantheism differed from the polytheistic views of most classical period Romans.
Nonetheless, they were still on the same side of the fence when it came to separating
themselves from monotheists like christians.
III.
Stoicism was originally a Hellenistic philosophy, with many persecutors. But, it was
Marcus Aurelius who defended and propagated the ideas of this philosophy in his
works such as the
Meditations
. He was the main emperor who embraced stoicism,
(Pigliucci, paragraph 1).
His work, especially book 4, demonstrates the essence of
stoicism by motivating the reader (intended to be himself) to live consistently. For
example, in number 29, Marcus states “for if thou think that that is only seed, which
either the earth and the womb recieveth, then thou art very simple.” Evidently, Marcus
is trying to retain humanistic value within himself by reminding himself that the earth
and womb receive not only seed but also other things, which he does not mention
since he is the intended reader of this book but one can only assume he is connecting
the womb to the earth in a way that motivates him to respect the earth, people, and the
universe as if they were all one. Marcus clearly wanted to emphasize that humans are
a part of a whole. He was the main contributor to stoic philosophy and proved his
beliefs by creating a work of literature that outlined his philosophies in a way that
only he would be able to fully comprehend. He created this work for himself out of
pure enjoyment. The true essence of Stoicism is seen in book 4 because Marcus
outlines how to remain wise, courageous, and act in moderation. It is raw. Number 7
of Book 4 is very similar to the Four Noble Truths from Buddhist religion, which
explain that suffering is caused by desire and to remove suffering one must remove
desire, (BBC). Marcus made a contribution to philosophy in this time by coming to
the same realization that Buddha had come to many centuries prior. Unknowing that it
would be published later on, his book of
Meditations
made a tremendous impact on
humanities, philosophy, stoicism, psychology, and even religion. He contributed
largely to stoic philosophy, but also to Roman Empire history.
He contributed by
keeping the Roman Empire together through the wars, although he is blamed for the
sickness and violence.
All in all, Marcus Aurelious will always be remembered as a
highly influential philosopher who has motivated centuries of people.
References
Kamtekar, Rachana. “Marcus Aurelius.”
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
, Stanford
University, 22 Dec. 2017, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/marcus-aurelius/.
“Meditations.” Translated by Meric Casaubon,
The Project Gutenberg EBook of
Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius
, Gutenburg, June 2001,
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2680/2680-h/2680-h.htm#link2H_4_0035.
Pigliucci, Massimo. “Stoicism.”
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
,
https://iep.utm.edu/stoicism/.
“Religions - Buddhism: The Four Noble Truths.”
BBC
, BBC, 17 Nov. 2009,
https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/beliefs/fournobletruths_1.shtml#:~:t
ext=That's%20all%20I%20teach%22%2C%20declared,meditation%20under%20the
%20bodhi%20tree.
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