Colby Geisinger
English 10H – Mr. Mogford
Marcus Aurelius
9/18/12
Marcus Aurelius: Roman Emperor and Stoic Philosopher
When many people think of the word philosopher, stoicism and emperor are not the first
thoughts that come to mind. Almost everyone immediately thinks of Plato or Aristotle. However,
Marcus Aurelius was also a philosopher and an emperor of Rome. Emperor Aurelius was a great
contributor to Stoic philosophy and I agree with everything he believes in. This great philosopher
had a brilliant mind and I agree with him on his thoughts of Ontology, Epistemology, and even
his thoughts on Axiology.
Marcus Aurelius was adopted by Antoninus Pius who was a roman emperor and young
Aurelius would eventually take his place. When he grew older he wrote a book known as the
“Meditations” and this contained all of his philosophical thoughts. Emperor Aurelius had his
own thoughts about Ontology which were based on Stoicism. Ontology asks the questions, “what
is”, “what exists”, and “what does our world consist of?” The Ontological thoughts of Aurelius
were that God was providence; God was fate; and that each human soul is “a fragment of the
universal divine force, yet not completely sundered from the parent-stock.” I agree with his
thoughts on this because I believe that each person has a special purpose in life and is meant to
do or change something in the world for the better. I feel that humans were placed on Earth to
contribute ideas and to advance the universe but that humans are just small portions that make up
the universe. I believe that there are many other factors that contribute to the universe such as
other animals, plants, and elements.
Emperor Aurelius was very different than most other philosophers because he had power
to put his thoughts into action which other philosophers didn’t have. In his book the
“Meditations” he talks about his life and what he learned from certain people that played an
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important role in his life. In this ancient work of his, he reveals personal thoughts and one of
these are his views on Epistemology which is once again based on Stoicism. Epistemology asks,
“what can we know”, “what should be taught, and studied.” The Epistemology that Marcus
Aurelius believes in is that, “knowledge can be attained through the voice of reason; truth can be
distinguished from fallacy.” Yet again, I agree with the philosopher’s ideas on Epistemology. I
agree because as information in life becomes more clear and reasonable then it becomes more
understandable and that is when people begin to learn and gain knowledge. It is very difficult to
learn something that doesn’t make any sense. I also agree because it is very simple to determine
the truth from what is misleading or false.
Along with the emperor’s ideas and reflections back on his life that are found from within
the “Meditations” his thoughts on Axiology are also found. Axiology asks the questions of,
“what is good (ethics)”, and “what is beautiful (aesthetics).”Marcus Aurelius’ views on Axiology
are that, “if you assume everyone is evil, then you cannot have an imprint of evil on you and you
cannot be mad at them for being evil.” Although he never truly defines what he feels is evil I still
agree with him. I agree with this philosopher’s thought on Axiology because in order to see
everyone as evil I would first have to be completely free of all evil and sins. So therefore, I see
nobody as evil because everybody sins and if everyone sins then nobody can be perceived as
evil.
Marcus Aurelius had a brilliant mind and thoughts on Ontology, Axiology, and
Epistemology and this is why I agree with his Stoic thinking. In my mind he is one of the
greatest Philosophers throughout history. He has contributed a lot of philosophical thoughts to
the world and he was able to do what many other philosophers could not do. He has contributed
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so much to Stoicism especially through the “Meditations.” Marcus Aurelius is a true Stoic
philosopher and has changed the way of viewing the world for many including myself.