Marcus Aurelius
ALPER TUNGA YURDAKUL
20901344
MARCUS AURELİUS
Aurelius is one of the most remembered of the Roman emperors because of his Meditations (c. 169–c. 180), a classic work of Stoic philosophy consisting of a collection of his private notes gathered posthumously under one title. As the last of the five “good emperors,” as head of the Roman Empire from 161 to 180, and because he was revered for centuries after as the perfect emperor, Aurelius continues to be of great interest to historians. His short, literate essays reveal much about a time period not well represented and also much regarding the thought processes of the State. His work informed by Stoicism and other philosophies that attracted Aurelius. The Meditations also …show more content…
After fighting in fearsome battles with death all around him, Marcus writes simply on how to use reason and logic, how to control one's emotions, and how to practice self-mastery. He urges piety, not pride: “Be just and temperate and a follower of the gods; but be so with simplicity, for the pride of modesty is the worst of all.” Aurelius’s well–known aphorisms such as “Man is worth as much as what he is interested in is worth”—have served as both solace and guide to innumerable readers for many centuries.
Aurelius was born in Rome in 121. His father, Annius Verus, was a consular, his mother, Domitia Lucilla, was well educated, fluent in Greek, extremely wealthy, and also of aristocratic birth. Incorporated into their son's early education in character, culture, poetry, and public speaking, was an emphasis on instilling in him an appreciation for simplicity. Aurelius's …show more content…
Whether or not Aurelius deliberately chose to write his notes in Greek because of its traditional link to philosophy is open to debate, but it is clear that he had not polished his work or laid it out systematically, and it's possible he never intended to do so. Written mostly during breaks in battles during the last ten years of his life, the Meditations often reflect the grim realities of pain and death. The original notes are no longer extant and surviving manuscripts suffer from occasional indecipherable words, a source of much argument since only conjecture can fill in the gaps. The precise meanings of the words present are by no means totally agreed upon by scholars, either. There is no way to know how Aurelius himself organized his notes, if indeed he did, nor is it possible to find how they came to be published. However, they definitely were not available to readers until after his death and appear to have been well known by the fourth century. The Meditations was not translated into English until 1634. Scholars doubt that the books were written in the order in which they are now found, and they believe that the preface was most likely written last. Often broken down into twelve sections, no definitive division has ever been reached, and editors differ widely in their views on where chapter divisions should be made. Although not of major importance
20901344
MARCUS AURELİUS
Aurelius is one of the most remembered of the Roman emperors because of his Meditations (c. 169–c. 180), a classic work of Stoic philosophy consisting of a collection of his private notes gathered posthumously under one title. As the last of the five “good emperors,” as head of the Roman Empire from 161 to 180, and because he was revered for centuries after as the perfect emperor, Aurelius continues to be of great interest to historians. His short, literate essays reveal much about a time period not well represented and also much regarding the thought processes of the State. His work informed by Stoicism and other philosophies that attracted Aurelius. The Meditations also …show more content…
After fighting in fearsome battles with death all around him, Marcus writes simply on how to use reason and logic, how to control one's emotions, and how to practice self-mastery. He urges piety, not pride: “Be just and temperate and a follower of the gods; but be so with simplicity, for the pride of modesty is the worst of all.” Aurelius’s well–known aphorisms such as “Man is worth as much as what he is interested in is worth”—have served as both solace and guide to innumerable readers for many centuries.
Aurelius was born in Rome in 121. His father, Annius Verus, was a consular, his mother, Domitia Lucilla, was well educated, fluent in Greek, extremely wealthy, and also of aristocratic birth. Incorporated into their son's early education in character, culture, poetry, and public speaking, was an emphasis on instilling in him an appreciation for simplicity. Aurelius's …show more content…
Whether or not Aurelius deliberately chose to write his notes in Greek because of its traditional link to philosophy is open to debate, but it is clear that he had not polished his work or laid it out systematically, and it's possible he never intended to do so. Written mostly during breaks in battles during the last ten years of his life, the Meditations often reflect the grim realities of pain and death. The original notes are no longer extant and surviving manuscripts suffer from occasional indecipherable words, a source of much argument since only conjecture can fill in the gaps. The precise meanings of the words present are by no means totally agreed upon by scholars, either. There is no way to know how Aurelius himself organized his notes, if indeed he did, nor is it possible to find how they came to be published. However, they definitely were not available to readers until after his death and appear to have been well known by the fourth century. The Meditations was not translated into English until 1634. Scholars doubt that the books were written in the order in which they are now found, and they believe that the preface was most likely written last. Often broken down into twelve sections, no definitive division has ever been reached, and editors differ widely in their views on where chapter divisions should be made. Although not of major importance