MARCUS AURELIUS AND THE STOIC PHILOSOPHY
Emeritus Professor Sebastian van As, Department of Paediatric Surgery, University of Cape Town
Monday 25–Wednesday 27 January < 1.00 pm < COURSE FEES R345; Staff and students R173
Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD, stands as history’s most powerful embodiment of the Stoic ideal. His life was a crucible of immense responsibility – leading armies, managing a vast empire and facing plague and personal betrayal – all while striving to maintain inner virtue. He did not seek to found a new school of thought, but to personally practise an existing one. Stoicism, the philosophy that guided him, is a practical system designed for resilience and ethical action. It teaches that while we cannot control external events, we have absolute power over our judgements, values and will. True peace and flourishing are found not in chasing pleasure or status, but in living a life of virtue, in accordance with nature and reason.
Marcus’s private writings, compiled as his Meditations, were never intended for publication. They are his personal notes to himself, a series of reminders on how to stay focused, disciplined and just, amidst the chaos of power. This enduring work offers a timeless manual on how to navigate the complexities of life with wisdom and grace.
Lecture titles
1. Who was Marcus Aurelius?
2. What is Stoic philosophy?
3. What was the significance of Marcus Aurelius to Stoic philosophy?
Recommended reading
Aurelius, M. 1882. Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus: Emperor of the Romans. Comelius H. Shaver.
Hadot, P. 1998. The Inner Citadel: The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. Harvard University Press.
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