Sam Harris’ hero
In the fascinating exchange between Sam Harris and Jordan Peterson that many of you will have come across on YouTube, Harris mentions Marcus Aurelius as one of his philosophical heroes:
“I read him with great pleasure, and astonishment frankly, he has such a modern and edifying take on ethics and one’s own personal well-being – just not being encumbered by thoughts and vanities that are so easy to cut through once you notice them, but so captivating and deranging of your life when you don’t. There’s more in that book than almost any book I can name, and you don’t have to believe any bullshit to honour it…”
So then who exactly was Marcus Aurelius? We should first set the scene with a word on Greece and Greek philosophers.
Greek history
After a bunch of early philosophers (the “pre-Socratics”), who don’t have much to teach us now, come three huge names in philosophy. Socrates (went around asking questions, left no writings himself, and died by consuming hemlock after his trial) taught Plato (wrote “The Republic”, “The Symposium” and other works featuring Socrates, and set up the Academy), who in turn taught Aristotle (wrote about everything, set up his own school “The Lyceum”). That’s an incredible philosophical lineage! And for a brief time, Aristotle tutored Alexander the Great. The period, with these three heavyweight philosophers and the building of the Parthenon, is regarded as the real golden age of Athens. Alexander the Great spread Greek influence far and wide during his conquests, and his death marks the start of the “Hellenistic Age” which lasted roughly three centuries up till the birth of Christ. It’s animated by people like Archimedes and Euclid and saw the flowering of the Greek city of Alexandria in Egypt. In the middle of this period, at the Battle of Corinth, Greece fell to Rome, and at the end of the period Egypt (of Cleopatra and Mark Antony) fell to Caesar.
Three philosophies
What’s the best way to live? Three broad schools of thought developed to answer this question. We have :-
- The Epicureans – enjoy life (in moderation), and especially friendships. Avoid the dirty world of politics
- The Stoics – avoid having an ego (and therefore pride), remain a bit emotionally detached, pursue a simple life of virtue
- The Sceptics and Cynics – it’s best not to hold strong beliefs
Stoicism
Different proponents of Stoicism through the generations, from Zeno onwards, had different things to say or emphasise. Seneca (4BC – 65AD) was the greatest Stoic philosopher – as well as being a famous playwright (Oedipus etc) in his own right. And Marcus Aurelius was one of the last. There are perhaps some issues with the philosophy if approached analytically. A contradiction between the idea held by many Stoics that the world is deterministic (Aurelius said “Whatever may happen to thee, it was prepared for thee from all eternity”) and the idea of free will. And all this talk that an individual life is good when it is in accordance with nature, and virtue is that which is aligned with nature, is all a bit fluffy. But it shouldn’t be approached as an academic subject, but rather as a simple practical guide to living your life.
Marcus Aurelius
Aurelius was first and foremost a Roman Emperor! – so clearly a very exceptional person. We remember the order of the first few emperors (especially if we are of an age to have watched “I Claudius” growing up) – Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero. But the subsequent ones are more hazy – we recognise perhaps the names of Vespasian (he who commissioned the Colosseum), Domitian (known for his cruel repression of the Christians), Hadrian (of the wall), and Marcus Aurelius – and perhaps also his son, the disastrous Commodus.
Marcus Aurelius’ only work was “Meditations”, written in Greek during his military campaigns (of which there were many). It reads rather like a diary – intimate, slow moving, and repetitive as he consolidates and clarifies his worldview. It could be expected that he might cynically promulgate such a philosophy since a ruler always prefers passive subjects. But his philosophy was genuine, and his book was never meant for publication.
A criticism could be levelled that he was not as “engaged” as he should have been. Did he really practise what he preached? He was apparently concerned for the downtrodden and for slaves, but he continued to persecute Christians, and Russell in his excellent “A History of Western Philosophy” noted that he “decreed that gladiators should fight with blunted swords; but this reform was short-lived, and he did nothing about fights with wild beasts”. But to be fair, the emperor was probably limited in what he could really change.
Famous quotes
There are a number which are often cited including:
- “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts” (an invective to cultivate a positive mindset)
- “You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realise this, and you will find strength”
- “Do every act of your life as though it were the last act of your life” (admittedly this one is unrealistic, if not ridiculous)
- And my favourite: “Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth” (this is in fact only attributed to him – it’s not actually found in the Meditations)
Stoicism is the most approachable of the schools of philosophy which are concerned with the practical side of life. You can’t do better than to try some extracts from Meditations!