On Knowing Yourself and 'Wolfish' Friendships I - The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - Published Selections Explained, Med. X.01

Meditation X.01 – On Knowing Yourself and 'Wolfish' Friendships I - Translated by George Long and rewritten by Russell McNeil

Note: Meditation X.01 is published in The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained; McNeil. Russell, PhD, Skylight Paths, Ch. 8 ("The Practice of Stoicism – On Knowing Yourself and 'Wolfish' Friendships I"), p. 199, 2007

Russell McNeil, PhD, is the author of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained by Skylight Paths Publishing. The unpublished selections presented in this Blog are provided as supplemental material to the published selections which are annotated and explained in the book. The published selections are referenced in this Blog by page number and section.

The Satisfaction of Natural Urges - The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - Unpublished Selections Explained, Med. X.02

Meditation X.02 - The Satisfaction of Natural Urges - Translated by George Long and rewritten by Russell McNeil

Observe what your nature requires, so far as you are governed by nature only: then do it and accept it, if your nature, so far as you are a living being, shall not be made worse by it. And next you must observe what your nature requires so far as you are a living being. And all this you may allow yourself, if your nature, so far as you are a rational animal, shall not be made worse by it.¹ But the rational animal is consequently also a political (social) animal. Use these rules, then, and trouble yourself about nothing else.²

Explanation

(1) In both parts of this meditation we are asked to observe what our "nature" requires or urges. The first instance is a direct appeal to our animal nature. For example, if we are hungry we should eat - unless the food we eat is bad for us - in that case eating bad food would make us worse. The second instance implies that as human beings endowed with reason we will always have some moral choice regarding the satisfaction of our natural requirements or urges. In this second case if eating required that we steal food from a child, we would be made morally worse by that act. This second distinction might be lost on animals because they do not have the power of reason.

(2) The political or social principle is paramount in Stoic philosophy. We are responsible for the welfare of others. In fact, the welfare of the community trumps the welfare of the individual. From a strict Stoic perspective, if eating food would cause the demise of anyone in the community, we ought to first ensure (within reason) that the needs of others were met before our own.

Russell McNeil, PhD, is the author of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained by Skylight Paths Publishing. The unpublished selections presented in this Blog are provided as supplemental material to the published selections which are annotated and explained in the book. The published selections are referenced in this Blog by page number and section.

Rising Above Pain I - The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - Published Selections Explained, Med. X.03

Meditation X.03 – Rising Above Pain I - Translated by George Long and rewritten by Russell McNeil

Note: Meditation X.03 is published in The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained; McNeil. Russell, PhD, Skylight Paths, Ch. 4 ("Stoicism and the Body – Rising Above Pain I"), p. 95, 2007

Russell McNeil, PhD, is the author of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained by Skylight Paths Publishing. The unpublished selections presented in this Blog are provided as supplemental material to the published selections which are annotated and explained in the book. The published selections are referenced in this Blog by page number and section.

Inquiry and the Practice of Philosophy I - The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - Published Selections Explained, Med. X.04

Meditation X.04 – Inquiry and the Practice of Philosophy I - Translated by George Long and rewritten by Russell McNeil

Note: Meditation X.04 is published in The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained; McNeil. Russell, PhD, Skylight Paths, Ch. 6 ("The Method of Stoicism – Inquiry and the Practice of Philosophy I"), p. 139, 2007

Russell McNeil, PhD, is the author of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained by Skylight Paths Publishing. The unpublished selections presented in this Blog are provided as supplemental material to the published selections which are annotated and explained in the book. The published selections are referenced in this Blog by page number and section.

Stoic Teleology - The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - Unpublished Selections Explained, Med. X.05

Meditation X.05 - Stoic Teleology - Translated by George Long and rewritten by Russell McNeil

Whatever may happen to you, it was prepared for you from all eternity; and the implication of causes was from eternity spinning the thread of your being, and of that which is incident to it.¹

Explanation

(1) Stoicism is a teleological philosophy modeled on nature and perfect natural Law. This Law guides the development of the universe with all it contains and all of its changes. There was in the old Stoicism a fatalism with regard to what human beings are, what talents we possess, and what we eventually become. These facts of existence are predetermined by nature. What was never predetermined by nature was our attitude toward these realities. As human beings we are free to accept or reject our status in nature. We have free will (please also see Meditation XI.36). We can choose to be guided by our animal sensibilities, or guided by the sensibility of nature, or more specifically the world-soul (macrocosm) from which the soul of each human being (microcosm) is an emanation. What is not predetermined in Stoicism is our reaction, attitude, or opinion about the spun thread of our being. We are free to embrace our destiny, by living in accord with the Law, or we may reject our destiny by living in opposition to the Law. But living in opposition to the Law has no material effect upon nature, other than to alter our state of being. In the first case we are happy; in the second we are alienated from nature and unhappy. The model advanced by the early Stoics was based upon the strict material causality that nature appeared to follow in the ancient world (and right on down to the 20th century). It is important to appreciate however that there has always been a degree of tentativeness in Stoicism. Our moral guidelines are modeled on the Law of nature. But our understanding of this Law was never perfect - although the Law itself is perfect. Modern understanding of natural Law has shifted fundamentally since ancient times. The strict determinism of the early Stoics was based on the perceived determinism of nature. We live today in a universe regulated by probability and indeterminism. The New Stoicism is not strictly new, insofar as Stoicism has always been flexible. While the indeterminacy of nature as understood today has removed the strict fatalism of the early Stoics, it has not removed from Stoicism its moral basis. The strict material details of the evolution of our physical lives may be less predictable than the early Stoics presumed, but the important details of our existence remain unchanged. We are born. We come from nature. We die, and we return to nature. Our duty remains - as always - to conform to Law, or to reject the Law.

Russell McNeil, PhD, is the author of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained by Skylight Paths Publishing. The unpublished selections presented in this Blog are provided as supplemental material to the published selections which are annotated and explained in the book. The published selections are referenced in this Blog by page number and section.

Society and Social Collapse III - The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - Published Selections Explained, Med. X.06

Meditation X.06 – Society and Social Collapse III - Translated by George Long and rewritten by Russell McNeil

Note: Meditation X.06 is published in The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained; McNeil. Russell, PhD, Skylight Paths, Ch. 8 ("Society and Government in Stoicism – Society and Social Collapse III"), p. 217, 2007

Russell McNeil, PhD, is the author of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained by Skylight Paths Publishing. The unpublished selections presented in this Blog are provided as supplemental material to the published selections which are annotated and explained in the book. The published selections are referenced in this Blog by page number and section.

The Chemistry of the Universe - The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - Unpublished Selections Explained, Med. X.07

Meditation X.07 - The Chemistry of the Universe - Translated by George Long and rewritten by Russell McNeil

The parts of the whole, everything, I mean, which is naturally comprehended in the universe, must of necessity perish; but let this be understood in this sense, that they must undergo change. But if this is naturally both an evil and a necessity for the parts, the whole would not continue to exist in a good condition, the parts being subject to change and constituted so as to perish in various ways.¹ For whether did nature herself design to do evil to the things which are parts of herself, and to make them subject to evil and of necessity fall into evil, or have such results happened without her knowing it?² Both these suppositions, indeed, are incredible.³ But if we should even drop the term Nature (as an efficient power),⁴ and should speak of these things as natural, even then it would be ridiculous to affirm at the same time that the parts of the whole are in their nature subject to change, and at the same time to be surprised or vexed as if something were happening contrary to nature, particularly as the dissolution of things is into those things of which each thing is composed.⁵ For there is either a dispersion of the elements out of which everything has been compounded, or a change from the solid to the earthy and from the airy to the aerial,⁶ so that these parts are taken back into the universal reason, whether this at certain periods is consumed by fire or renewed by eternal changes.⁷ And do not imagine that the solid and the airy part belong to you from the time of generation.⁸ For all this received its accretion only yesterday and the day before, as one may say, from the food and the air which is inspired.⁹ This, then, which has received the accretion, changes, not that which your mother brought forth.¹⁰ But suppose that this which your mother brought forth implicates you very much with that other part, which has the peculiar quality of change, this is nothing in fact in the way of objection to what is said.¹¹

Explanation

(1) The whole is the totality - all of the matter in the universe consisting of four passive components (earth, water, air and fire) and one active component, pneuma. Logos is the organizing rational constituent of Nature and is comprised of pneuma. The active component acts upon the passive giving rise to changes. That those changes occur, and must occur of necessity in a certain direction, is the subject of the meditation. Marcus is asking us to consider whether something in nature that is a necessity, could also be an evil.

(2) Nature, in Stoic logic, equates with divinity, and is thereby inherently perfect, and good. It is therefore logically inconsistent that Nature would either not know how how her parts behaved (in which case nature would be deficient), or that Nature would have designed an inherently evil process as part of her natural operation.

(3) This would be incredible, and inconsistent with the basic premise that Nature is good.

(4) Marcus asks us to consider the same question about a Nature that - for the moment - was not the divine and all-knowing organizing architect of the universe that Stoicism considers Nature to be.

(5) Considering these processes as simply "natural" (as opposed to the operations of a divine Nature) Marcus is allowing a position similar to the perspective of science in the modern world. He asks us to simply assume that the universe evolves according to a set of physical laws. However, if the dissolution of matter into its component parts was the result of the operation of physical laws, and this also produced unintended consequences, then this too would be logically inconsistent.

(6) Marcus is postulating the internal mechanism that might give rise to the dissolution or decay of substances. How that might proceed was not fully articulated or understood by the Stoics. He suggests (as an example) that a compound EA consisting of Earth E and Air A could decay in one of two ways. In the first instance the dissolution of the substance EA would would follow the following path,

EA -> E + A

in which case E and A would be assumed to retain their pre-decay characteristics.

In the second possibility the substance EA might decay by following an internal process whereby E and A disintegrate separately into a finer phases. In this case E (the solid) might become e (an earthy phase) and A (the airy component) becomes a (an aerial phase). This process might be represented as such,

EA -> ea + ea + ... + ea (an indeterminate number of finer grains each retaining its original essence).

(7) Whatever the actual process of dissolution, Marcus presumes that in time either E and A, or ea (the products of decay for the two paths), would eventually be consumed by fire, resulting in new substances consisting in this case of interactions involving water W and/or fire F producing a variety of new associations such as, EW, EF, WE, WF, EAW, EAWF, etc.

(8) Bringing this argument to the level of the individual and our own physical bodies, Marcus notes that these dissolutions occur in our bodies continuously, and on a daily basis. We are indeed not the same as we were when we were conceived or born (or indeed "yesterday," or the "day before").

(9) Marcus is referring to what we understand now as biological metabolism - the process that brings together the food we eat and the air we breathe into the various constituent cells of the body EA (in various combinations) through interaction with energy (fire).

(10) Accretion is the end result of a metabolic process such as the fabrication of a human cell.

(11) In spite of the physical changes that occur as we grow and age, we are in fact still, in a real sense, what we were at birth because the active component of life, our psyche or soul - a material substance - never changes. This implies that those physical changes that we do experience throughout our growth, maturation, and development would not, of necessity, be evil.

Russell McNeil, PhD, is the author of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained by Skylight Paths Publishing. The unpublished selections presented in this Blog are provided as supplemental material to the published selections which are annotated and explained in the book. The published selections are referenced in this Blog by page number and section.

Rational Suicide - The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - Unpublished Selections Explained, Med. X.08

Meditation X.08 - Rational Suicide - Translated by George Long and rewritten by Russell McNeil

When you have assumed these names, good, modest, true, rational, a person of equanimity, and magnanimous, take care that you do not change these names;¹ and if you should lose them, quickly return to them.² And remember that the term Rational³ was intended to signify a discriminating attention to every single detail and to do so with due diligence;⁴ and that Equanimity is the voluntary acceptance of the things which are assigned to you by the common nature;⁵ and that Magnanimity is the elevation of the intelligent part above the pleasurable or painful sensations of the flesh,⁶ and above that poor thing called fame,⁷ and death,⁸ and all such things. If, then, you maintain yourself in the possession of these names, without desiring to be called by these names by others,⁹ you will be another person and will enter on another life.¹⁰ For to continue to be such as you have hitherto been, and to be torn in pieces and defiled in such a life, is the character of a very stupid person and one overfond of life,¹¹ and like those half-devoured fighters with wild beasts, who though covered with wounds and gore, still plead to be kept to the following day, though they will be exposed in the same state to the same claws and bites.¹² Therefore fix yourself in the possession of these few names: and if you are able to abide in them, abide as if you were removed to certain islands of the Happy.¹³ But if you shall perceive that you fall out of them and do not maintain your hold, go courageously into some nook where you shall maintain them,¹⁴ or even depart at once from life, not in passion, but with simplicity and freedom and modesty, after doing this one laudable thing at least in your life, to have gone out of it thus.¹⁵ In order, however, to the remembrance of these names, it will greatly help you, if you remember the gods,¹⁶ and that they wish not to be flattered, but wish all reasonable beings to be made like themselves;¹⁷ and if you remember that what does the work of a fig-tree is a fig-tree, and that what does the work of a dog is a dog, and that what does the work of a bee is a bee, and that what does the work of a human being is a human being.¹⁸

Explanation

(1) To "assume these names" means to adopt these virtues. To "change these names" means to adopt the opposite values of each virtue, or the vices.

(2) Although Stoicism maintains that reason is infallible, human beings are influenced by a composite of rational and irrational impulses. Therefore to "lose a name" would mean allowing an irrational or emotional impulse to take precedence over the rational.

(3) The word "Rational" is capitalized in the original translation indicating an association, in this case, of the word with Logos, the ruling intelligence of the universe, and the source of all Reason.

(4) Complex situations require complex attention. The Stoics anticipated the hypothetico-deductive scientific approach to problem solving and Marcus here is advocating this approach in all non-trivial matters in life. Please also see Meditation X.09 for further discussion of this point.

(5) All human beings - indeed all sentient life in the universe - is regulated by Reason or Logos which is the common source of all things human.

(6) This of course is a key feature of Stoicism. The mind ought always take precedence over the body, its pleasures and its pains.

(7) Fame is a "poor thing" because only self-serving individuals will seek fame.

(8) Stoics never fear death. Death is in accord with nature. It happens to all and nothing virtuous is ever gained by postponing or avoiding or (except for rational suicide discussed in note 15 below ) deliberately seeking death (this was a criticism leveled at the early Christian cult). Those who take extraordinary measures to avoid death (or deliberately seek it as was the case with the early Christians), generally do so at the expense of others. With regard to death, nature ought to take its normal course.

(9) In other words virtue should be practiced with humility and modesty. To draw attention to virtue is self-serving.

(10) This is equivalent to the Christian idea of being "born again" (please see Meditation X.16).

(11) Living in vice effectively alienates us from the human community. Living is discord with nature leaves us alone in the universe, and desperately unhappy.

(12) This is a reference to a Roman gladiatorial tradition involving horrific confrontations with wild animals imported from Asia. Marcus opposed these practices and promoted restrictions on the practices, but they were prevalent throughout the empire, both before and after his reign.

(13) The "islands of the Happy" is a reference to the mythological Elysian Fields which were believed to be the final resting place of the blessed chosen by the gods. Neither Marcus Aurelius nor the Stoics believed in these notions, but the tradition was embedded in Greco-Roman consciousness, and Marcus, as emperor, was dutifully bound to uphold at least a nominal adherence to the official gods and their various traditions.

(14) Advocating a retreat "into some nook" is a gentle suggestion to revisit your values through meditation. This is the Stoic equivalent of seeking repentance. The difference between Christian repentance and the Stoic is that forgiveness comes not from God, but from yourself.

(15) Non-Stoics find this shocking. Marcus is advocating suicide to those who are unable or incapable of being virtuous. Remember that death to the Stoic is something that is viewed with indifference. Although Stoics should generally never seek death, this is a notable exception. Taking one's life in this situation is viewed as an act of courage which is a virtue and would convey happiness to the actor.

(16) Please see meditation XII.28 for the Stoic position on the gods.

(17) Please see Meditation X.13b for the Stoic position on flattery.

(18) The work of a human being is to keep the names listed in the first part of the meditation (see note 1 above). This is all that is required of a human being. This is the alpha and omega, our only reason for living, and the end of our existence.

Russell McNeil, PhD, is the author of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained by Skylight Paths Publishing. The unpublished selections presented in this Blog are provided as supplemental material to the published selections which are annotated and explained in the book. The published selections are referenced in this Blog by page number and section.

Scientific Method Founded in Stoicism - The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - Unpublished Selections Explained, Med. X.09

Meditation X.09 - Scientific Method Founded in Stoicism - Translated by George Long and rewritten by Russell McNeil

Useless luxuries, foreign wars, personal insecurities, numbness and apathy, slavish addictions, will daily wipe out those holy principles of yours.¹ How many things without studying nature do you imagine, and how many do you neglect?² But it is your duty so to look on and so to do everything, that at the same time the power of dealing with circumstances is perfected, and the contemplative faculty is exercised, and the confidence which comes from an understanding of each of these issues is maintained without showing it, but yet not concealed.³ For when will you enjoy simplicity, when gravity, and when the understanding of each of these issues, both what it is in substance, and what place it has in the universe, and how long it is formed to exist and of what things it is compounded, and to whom it can belong, and who are able both to give it and take it away?⁴

Explanation

(1) This surprisingly familiar litany of life's many distractions comes from the 2nd century. It could just as well have been penned in the 21st century. Whether you are Stoic, humanist, or devoutly religious, the challenge of engaging a principled life, while confronting a fragmented world of private and public distractions, can feel overwhelming. Whatever "holy principles" or personal philosophies we hold are constantly undermined by the noise of living.

(2) Marcus maintains that the Stoic who has studied and understood nature will be able to confront all of these apparent distractions, without fear of losing out to imagined fears, and without neglecting virtue or ideals.

(3) Living in a complex society does not threaten the Stoic. Nor does the Stoic hide or run from these challenges. The pressures of life are regarded rather as opportunities for refining our ability to confront circumstances. The more complex and varied the challenges, the more we need to exercise and thereby perfect our powers of reason. Our goal in a crisis is to understand the dilemma, and to develop a strategy for resolving the issue. This is where the "bring it on" fatalism of Stoicism is most helpful. Rather than provoking a so-called crisis of faith, life challenging situations actually strengthen personal resolve. The Stoic understands that whatever comes our way was meant to be, and is, in a real sense, part of our destiny. The Stoic also understands that nature has endowed each of us with the intellectual talents to confront complexity.

(4) The joy of Stoicism emanates from its other-directed focus. Inured against pain and fortified by invincibility, the Stoic approaches every situation with the confidence of a Sherlock Holmes. Nothing can stand in our way when we accept that nothing can harm us. No problem is ever intractable. The analytic model outlined here will always provide the understanding we require for a resolution. The heuristic methodology sketched out by Aurelius is highly sophisticated critical thinking involving both reductionist and synthetic tactics that anticipate modern approaches in science by two thousand years. This is really the core of the hypothetico-deductive scientific method - outlined here fifteen hundred years before Galileo's pioneering application of this sort of reasoning at the beginning of the modern era. The approach requires that we understand that everything that occurs in nature is under the influence of a law, or a complex interaction of laws. We must accept that there are no occult forces at work in the universe. The approach requires that we first break each problem into its component elements; we then attempt to understand each element in its own right; this is done by applying the various hypotheses that determine the behaviors of each element on its own; then, we bring the components together in order to understand the behavior of the system.

Russell McNeil, PhD, is the author of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained by Skylight Paths Publishing. The unpublished selections presented in this Blog are provided as supplemental material to the published selections which are annotated and explained in the book. The published selections are referenced in this Blog by page number and section.

Stoic Attitude Toward the Exploitation of Nature - The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - Unpublished Selections Explained, Med. X.10

Meditation X.10 - Stoic Attitude Toward the Exploitation of Nature - Translated by George Long and rewritten by Russell McNeil

A spider is proud when it has caught a fly, and another when he has caught a poor hare, and another when he has taken a little fish in a net, and another when he has taken wild boars, and another when he has taken bears, and another when he has taken Sarmatians.¹ Are not these robbers, if you examine their opinions?²

Explanation

(1) The Sarmatians were a fierce nomadic tribe occupying areas north of the Danube. The Romans fought several wars against the Sarmatians and their allies during the reign of Marcus Aurelius and during the period Marcus was writing his meditations.

(2) This revealing meditation expresses Marcus's attitude toward war and nature. Marcus was a warrior, but the battles he fought were defensive. They were necessary for the protection of the empire. Stoics are not driven to kill, but will kill if needed to protect the state. Their attitude toward killing from necessity is educative - as a method of last resort designed ultimately to create opportunities for the offensive states to develop cooperative postures. From Marcus's perspective revenge and conquest are evil motives for the killing of other human beings, and no different than a blood sport. Wars of aggression reflect a desire to subjugate and enslave others for the benefit of the oppressor. In no case ought a warrior feel pride in taking the life of another - or indeed the taking of life in any form. Pride is a vice. Pride is an attitude held by those who revere their own interests over the interests of the community, or over the interests of nature in general. In the case of hunting, the feeling of pride that comes from killing a hare, or boar, or a bear, reveals an attitude that we as humans were designed to dominate nature. Stoics understand that nature is a system of interconnections. The deliberate exploitation of nature for sport is contrary to the will of the universe. Stoics would not oppose the hunting of wild animals for survival - that would be seen as natural and necessary. But any exploitation of nature, such as hunting for sport or simply for the satisfaction of the kill, is a form of robbery, and always contrary to nature (for a more detailed analysis of this theme in the book, please see Chapter 7, "Stoicism and the Environment," p. 151).

Russell McNeil, PhD, is the author of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained by Skylight Paths Publishing. The unpublished selections presented in this Blog are provided as supplemental material to the published selections which are annotated and explained in the book. The published selections are referenced in this Blog by page number and section.

On Sexuality and Addiction II - The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - Published Selections Explained, Med. X.11

Meditation X.11 – On Sexuality and Addiction II - Translated by George Long and rewritten by Russell McNeil

Note: Meditation X.11 is published in The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained; McNeil. Russell, PhD, Skylight Paths, Ch. 8 ("The Practice of Stoicism – On Sexuality and Addiction II"), p. 191, 2007

Russell McNeil, PhD, is the author of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained by Skylight Paths Publishing. The unpublished selections presented in this Blog are provided as supplemental material to the published selections which are annotated and explained in the book. The published selections are referenced in this Blog by page number and section.

Stoicism and Doubt - Anticipating Descartes - The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - Unpublished Selections Explained, Med. X.12

Meditation X.12 - Stoicism and Doubt - Anticipating Descartes - Translated by George Long and rewritten by Russell McNeil

What need is there of suspicious fear, since it is in your power to inquire what ought to be done?¹ And if you see clearly, go by this way content, without turning back: but if you do not see clearly, stop and take the best advisers.² But if any other things oppose you, go on according to your powers with due consideration, keeping to that which appears to be just.³ For it is best to reach this object, and if you do fail, let your failure be in attempting this. Whoever follows reason in all things is both tranquil and active at the same time, and also cheerful and collected.⁴

Explanation

(1) Marcus is reflecting on his role as an emperor, and a leader's natural doubt around state decisions - decisions that would impact the lives of everyone in his enormous empire. Marcus knows all too well how conflicting forces - some sinister - will attempt to influence his thinking. Although he may be lacking all of the information needed to follow a particular course, he does have the power to seek advice and to retain counsel. In an era where Roman leaders were showered with constant praise and regarded as divinely inspired (a legacy that has been difficult to shake in the modern world), this admission is both intelligent and prudent. Marcus is not a god, and he knows this. He also understands that humility and modesty are critical virtues in following the right course. To do this he must constantly reject the adoration and flattery of others (please also see Meditation X.13b).

(2) Marcus realizes that the best advisors will be those who are able to think critically about military and geopolitical crises. The retention of advisors who tend to agree with the leader (flatterers) could lead to disaster.

(3) By provisionally following the course that "appears to be just," Marcus (and Stoicism in general) anticipates in part a methodology of doubt later advanced by Descartes (1596-1650) with respect to moral decisions. In Stoicism human morality is modeled on the law of nature which serves always as the template for morality. The law of nature is however never obvious, nor ever fully understood. We must first study nature, and interpret its nuances in human terms. Our understanding of this law will always be subject to revision and reinterpretation as nature reveals herself more fully to us. Revelation in Stoicism does not come from the gods, or from authority, or from inspired scripture - it comes to us from research, science, and systematic critical analyses.

(4) This is sage advice. We can only do our best by following reason. This is the path that secures peace of mind. Marcus is proclaiming a radical approach in an era where "divinely inspired" leaders frequently shot from the hip, consulted the stars, or otherwise acted irrationally in matters of state.

Russell McNeil, PhD, is the author of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained by Skylight Paths Publishing. The unpublished selections presented in this Blog are provided as supplemental material to the published selections which are annotated and explained in the book. The published selections are referenced in this Blog by page number and section.

Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You - The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - Unpublished Selections Explained, Med. X.13a

Meditation X.13a - Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You - Translated by George Long and rewritten by Russell McNeil

Inquire of yourself as soon as you wake from sleep, whether it will make any difference to you, if another does what is just and right. It will make no difference.¹

Explanation

(1) Human beings are social. The welfare of the community takes precedence over the welfare of the individual. This central Stoic assertion is inferred from observations of nature. The supremacy of the community is a law of nature, and as such has moral ramifications. Our moral actions must always consider the primacy of the community irrespective of personal consequence. What is just and right in Stoicism is what is just and right for all - even if the just action means the extinction of the individual. Stated in the negative, "What is not good for the swarm is not good for the bee." The attitude that each individual must take toward justice is one in which all vestiges of personal interest are submerged. There can be no sense that an action will confer good reputation, or personal gain on the actor. Our actions, wherever possible, ought never bring attention to ourselves. We simply must act justly. It makes no difference therefore who does it - only that it is done in the best interests of the community or country. In the spirit of John F. Kennedy's 1960 inaugural Presidential address, you must always first ask, 'what you can do for your country.'

Russell McNeil, PhD, is the author of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained by Skylight Paths Publishing. The unpublished selections presented in this Blog are provided as supplemental material to the published selections which are annotated and explained in the book. The published selections are referenced in this Blog by page number and section.

Beware the Flatterer - The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - Unpublished Selections Explained, Med. X.13b

Meditation X.13b - Beware the Flatterer - Translated by George Long and rewritten by Russell McNeil

You have not forgotten, I suppose, that those who assume arrogant airs in bestowing their praise or blame on others, are such as they are at bed and at board¹ and you have not forgotten what they do, and what they avoid and what they pursue, and how they steal and how they rob, not with hands and feet, but with their most valuable part, by means of which there is produced, when a human being chooses, fidelity, modesty, truth, law, a good daemon (happiness)?²

Explanation

(1) Marcus employs this graceful self-reflection - "you have not forgotten [have you?]" - as a way of reinforcing his own reactions and responses to those who surround and attempt to influence him in his capacity as emperor and commander-in-chief. Arrogance in others unmasks a nature that regards itself as the center of the universe. Marcus needs to remind himself that the praise he constantly receives from self-regarding men and women is flattery, and nothing more. Even if the praise is merited, it is always motivated by a desire to solicit an advantage to the flatterer. Flatterers are phony. The honeyed but ingenuous accolades flatterers toss in our direction are symptomatic of a self-regard that is evident in other behavioral characteristics flatterers display in their personal lives "at bed and at board (a Latin idiom referring to the loving devotion of a spouse toward his or her partner - the idiom is used frequently in works by Milton, Shakespeare and others)." A Stoic never blames. From the Stoic viewpoint, blame or finger-pointing is a provocative act designed to elevate the accuser at the expense of the offender. Of course it is important to point out error and to correct missteps in others. But this ought always be done sagely - if the goal is to reform the offender. When correction is necessary, a Stoic knows that denigration serves no charitable purpose. It is far more effective to educate an offender, and to do so with compassion and with tact.

(2) Marcus is reminding himself not to succumb to the poisonous and seductive poison of flattery. Emperors, presidents, and kings (and anyone else who holds power over others - parents, bosses, teachers, religious leaders, celebrities, lottery winners, seducers, etc.) are exposed to flattery far more than those in lesser positions of power. Remaining virtuous while wielding power is a challenge for the Stoic. Power can and does corrupt - and a unique form of due diligence is required of a king. As such Marcus needs to ever be on his guard, and to remind himself that arrogance in himself and in others is a sign of rot - a rot that expresses itself in many other ways. Flattery can also rob us of our good sense. When we accept praise, we too may become self-regarding because the flatterer robs us of our other-regarding virtues: fidelity, modesty, and so forth. It also robs us of our most valuable asset, our happiness - picturesquely represented here as an animated spirit - as a good "daemon." Marcus no more believes in daemons (good or bad inferior divinities in Greek mythology) than most of us believe in guardian angels or leprechauns - but we too occasionally invoke language of this sort if it suits a poetic purpose.

Russell McNeil, PhD, is the author of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained by Skylight Paths Publishing. The unpublished selections presented in this Blog are provided as supplemental material to the published selections which are annotated and explained in the book. The published selections are referenced in this Blog by page number and section.

The Divine Feminine in Nature - The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - Published Selections Explained, Med. X.14

Meditation X.14 – The Divine Feminine in Nature - Translated by George Long and rewritten by Russell McNeil

Note: Meditation X.14 is published in The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained; McNeil. Russell, PhD, Skylight Paths, Introduction ("The Divine Feminine in Nature"), p. xxiii, 2007

Russell McNeil, PhD, is the author of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained by Skylight Paths Publishing. The unpublished selections presented in this Blog are provided as supplemental material to the published selections which are annotated and explained in the book. The published selections are referenced in this Blog by page number and section.

On Misfortune, Death, and Martyrdom IV - The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - Published Selections Explained, Med. X.15

Meditation X.15 – On Misfortune, Death, and Martyrdom IV - Translated by George Long and rewritten by Russell McNeil

Note: Meditation X.20 is published in The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained; McNeil. Russell, PhD, Skylight Paths, Ch. 8 ("The Practice of Stoicism – On Misfortune, Death, and Martyrdom IV"), p. 207, 2007

Russell McNeil, PhD, is the author of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained by Skylight Paths Publishing. The unpublished selections presented in this Blog are provided as supplemental material to the published selections which are annotated and explained in the book. The published selections are referenced in this Blog by page number and section.

Born Again - The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - Unpublished Selections Explained, Med. X.16

Meditation X.16 - Born Again - Translated by George Long and rewritten by Russell McNeil

No longer talk at all about the kind of man or woman that a good man or woman ought to be, but be such.¹

Explanation

(1) Stoicism requires more than an intellectual understanding of philosophy. Preaching or teaching Stoic principles requires full engagement. Why? Imagine teaching a course about flowers or precious gems or infants without ever having seen a single example of any of these. Stoicism is a "blazing fire [that] makes flame and brightness out of everything that is thrown into it (Meditation X.31)." The virtue that Stoicism demands of us requires witness. We must witness the good to ignite the fire. When we do this, it is no longer possible for us to not be good. This is very much the born again sort of experience that religious systems demand. There is a difference however. Stoicism is empirical. Stoicism makes no demand on faith. Christians maintain that the Christ will enter us when we are 'born again.' Christian theology identifies the Christ with the Logos, a concept Christianity borrowed from Stoicism. In Stoicism the Logos is in us always. We will recognize this because this same Logos is all around us in nature - not above nature as Christians maintain. The exercise of the Stoic requires a real turning away from the self to observe the other - using the natural tools of reason. Divesting ourselves of the self requires profound humility (please see Echoes of Buddha - Meditation X.17). A passage paraphrased from Mark 4:12 teaches that without faith 'we may see clearly, but not perceive; we may hear clearly, but not understand.' For the Stoic the perception and understanding needed to be good comes to us not from faith, but from reason.

Russell McNeil, PhD, is the author of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained by Skylight Paths Publishing. The unpublished selections presented in this Blog are provided as supplemental material to the published selections which are annotated and explained in the book. The published selections are referenced in this Blog by page number and section.

Echoes of Buddha - The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - Unpublished Selections Explained, Med. X.17

Meditation X.17 - Echoes of Buddha - Translated by George Long and rewritten by Russell McNeil

Constantly contemplate the whole of time and the whole of substance,¹ and consider that all individual things as to substance are a grain of a fig,² and as to time, the turning of a gimlet.³

Explanation

(1) Human insignificance and the brevity of life are constant themes throughout the meditations. The purpose is not to belittle human beings, but to stifle pride and to encourage humility. The first tactical way to achieve this is to acquire a natural perspective and understanding of the totality of time, and space, and substance. This perspective can come only from a thorough study of nature and her laws - a Stoic mantra. This is an extraordinarily beautiful meditation with a distinctly Buddhist flavor. Buddhist meditations are designed to develop mindfulness, concentration, tranquility and insight. The Stoic nuances on these terms may differ from their Buddhist meanings, but Stoic meditation focuses on comparable goals.

(2) The comparison is between a grain of a fig (see image) and the whole of substance - in other words the entire cosmos.

(3) The gimlet is an auger - one turn in many is normally required to perform a task. The intervals we compare are those of a single gimlet turn versus the entirety of time - the infinitesimal versus eternity.

Russell McNeil, PhD, is the author of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained by Skylight Paths Publishing. The unpublished selections presented in this Blog are provided as supplemental material to the published selections which are annotated and explained in the book. The published selections are referenced in this Blog by page number and section.

To Die in the River - The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - Unpublished Selections Explained, Med. X.18

Meditation X.18 - To Die in the River - Translated by George Long and rewritten by Russell McNeil

Look at everything that exists, and observe that it is already in dissolution and in change, and as it were putrefaction or dispersion, or that everything is so constituted by nature as to die.¹

Explanation

(1) Everything changes, disperses, rots and dies. This is a fact of nature and a universal law. Today we call this the second law of thermodynamics, or the law of entropy. It applies to small things like you and I. It applies also to larger things, like the Earth and the Sun, and to larger things still, like the Milky Way galaxy. By extension, this law of nature applies to the universe as a whole, as it too must die. But the death of the universe would not mean the death of nature. The active component of nature Logos, is immutable and unchanging, because it is the Law. This immutability insures a rebirth and a reanimation of nature - in a never-ending series of cosmic cycles of births and deaths.

Stoics are commanded to live according to nature. What does this law mean for us in moral terms? What must we make of this to live rightly? It ought to engender in us a profound sense of humility. It ought also help us to embrace and to welcome change and death. We are part of this system and embedded in its process. We have borrowed our brief and beautiful existence from nature, and we must return it willingly to nature. Our fleeting existence is as ephemeral as a drop of rain. In the words of the Islamic philosopher al-Ghazali (1058-1111), "the happiness of the drop is to die in the river."

Russell McNeil, PhD, is the author of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained by Skylight Paths Publishing. The unpublished selections presented in this Blog are provided as supplemental material to the published selections which are annotated and explained in the book. The published selections are referenced in this Blog by page number and section.

Meditation on Bodily Functions - The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - Unpublished Selections Explained, Med. X.19

Meditation X.19 - Meditation on Bodily Functions - Translated by George Long and rewritten by Russell McNeil

Consider what human beings are when they are eating, sleeping, generating, easing themselves and so forth. Then what kind of persons they are when they are imperious and arrogant, or angry and scolding from their elevated place.¹ But a short time ago to how many they were slaves and for what things; and after a little time consider in what a condition they will be.²

Explanation

(1) The meditation focuses on pride and the self-importance and arrogance that ignorance fosters. Marcus reminds us that such men and women are - like all men and women - animal creatures who slobber, fornicate, defecate and break wind. This slightly crude reminder of the animal side of human nature is designed to take the stuffing out of pomposity.

(2) The arrogant and proud men and women who behave in these ways achieved their notoriety by bowing and scraping. Not long ago they were slaves - yes-men and yes-women - ever ready to prostitute themselves for personal gain. Like the rest of us these people too will soon be 'ashes and smoke (please also see Meditation XII.33).'

Russell McNeil, PhD, is the author of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained by Skylight Paths Publishing. The unpublished selections presented in this Blog are provided as supplemental material to the published selections which are annotated and explained in the book. The published selections are referenced in this Blog by page number and section.