Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 267 pages of information about Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus.

Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 267 pages of information about Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus.

It is true that all people have some notion of what is meant by justice as a disposition of the mind, and some notion about acting in conformity to this disposition; but experience shows that men’s notions about justice are as confused as their actions are inconsistent with the true notion of justice.  The emperor’s notion of justice is clear enough, but not practical enough for all mankind.  “Let there be freedom from perturbations with respect to the things which come from the external cause; and let there be justice in the things done by virtue of the internal cause, that is, let there be movement and action terminating in this, in social acts, for this is according to thy nature” (ix. 31).  In another place (ix. 1) he says that “he who acts unjustly acts impiously,” which follows of course from all that he says in various places.  He insists on the practice of truth as a virtue and as a means to virtue, which no doubt it is:  for lying even in indifferent things weakens the understanding; and lying maliciously is as great a moral offense as a man can be guilty of, viewed both as showing an habitual disposition, and viewed with respect to consequences.  He couples the notion of justice with action.  A man must not pride himself on having some fine notion of justice in his head, but he must exhibit his justice in act, like St. James’ notion of faith.  But this is enough.

The Stoics, and Antoninus among them, call some things beautiful ([Greek:  kala]) and some ugly ([Greek:  aischra]), and as they are beautiful so they are good, and as they are ugly so they are evil, or bad (ii. 1).  All these things, good and evil, are in our power, absolutely, some of the stricter Stoics would say; in a manner only, as those who would not depart altogether from common sense would say; practically they are to a great degree in the power of some persons and in some circumstances, but in a small degree only in other persons and in other circumstances.  The Stoics maintain man’s free will as to the things which are in his power; for as to the things which are out of his power, free will terminating in action is of course excluded by the very terms of the expression.  I hardly know if we can discover exactly Antoninus’ notion of the free will of man, nor is the question worth the inquiry.  What he does mean and does say is intelligible.  All the things which are not in our power ([Greek:  aproaireta]) are indifferent:  they are neither good nor bad, morally.  Such are life, health, wealth, power, disease, poverty, and death.  Life and death are all men’s portion.  Health, wealth, power, disease, and poverty happen to men, indifferently to the good and to the bad; to those who live according to nature and to those who do not.[A] “Life,” says the emperor, “is a warfare and a stranger’s sojourn, and after fame is oblivion” (ii. 17).  After speaking of those men who have disturbed the world and then died, and of the death of philosophers such as Heraclitus and Democritus, who was destroyed

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Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.