Marcus Aurelius: The Philosopher King

“Objective judgement, now, at this very moment. Unselfish action, now, at this very moment. Willing acceptance – now, at this very moment – of all external events. That's all you need.” – Marcus Aurelius

As the last of Rome’s Five Good Emperors, Marcus Aurelius stands beside Augustus Caesar as one of the greatest Roman Emperors. Not only is he considered a preeminent Roman Emperor, but Marcus Aurelius is also regarded as one of the wisest and virtuous rulers throughout all of human history.

Emperor Marcus Aurelius is the ideal example of Plato’s Philosopher King archetype. Plato describes a philosopher king as an intellectual ruler who loves the pursuit of wisdom and who prioritizes both rationality and virtue. Marcus Aurelius embodied all that Plato imagined a wise king would be. Before being chosen as the imperial heir by Emperor Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius’ dream was to become a philosopher and live a simple life pursuing knowledge and wisdom, not power and supremacy.

Throughout his reign as Emperor, Marcus Aurelius used his prestigious imperial education and life-long affinity for philosophy to lead his empire through multiple wars, a plague, betrayal, and civil war, and he was beloved by the people of the empire for enduring it all. The Roman people viewed him as their courageous, compassionate, and wise ruler; it is said that the Romans saw Marcus more as a father than a king.

Marcus Aurelius is not necessarily remembered for being the ruler of an empire that fell over a millennium ago—there have been hundreds of Roman Emperors. He is remembered and revered for the character and leadership he possessed as the most powerful man in the world. Marcus Aurelius could have excessively indulged in seductive pleasures—like sex, food, gambling, and partying—like the ample rulers before and after him have, but instead, he chose to live a life in accordance to wisdom, virtue, reason, courage, and temperance. He selflessly prioritized state affairs and consistently sought to achieve what was in the interest of all those of the empire, for the common good.

Through historical records and Marcus Aurelius’ journaling (his writings were later published as the Meditations), his exploits and philosophical approach to life have contributed to the stoic branch of philosophy.

His work, the Meditations, has inspired generations of leaders since its publication. The list of notable leaders and famous individuals who have been inspired by Marcus Aurelius and The Meditations is extensive: the likes of Bill Clinton, Tom Brady, George Washington, Bill Belichek, Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and JK Rowling have all looked to emulate the character and philosophy of Marcus Aurelius, the Philosopher King.

The philosophy and life of the Emperor:

As the most powerful man in the world, no person would have been surprised if Marcus Aurelius had overindulged himself with all the pleasures an empire could afford him. Hundreds of Roman emperors and thousands of rulers, before and after, took advantage of their incredibly auspicious positions.

Marcus’ stepbrother, and co-emperor for the first decade of Marcus’ reign, had done just that. As a youth, co-emperor Lucius Verus, studied philosophy and aimed for a virtues life, like Marcus, but once he was proclaimed co-emperor by Marcus, he quickly allowed the freedom that power gifted him to transform his character. As co-emperor, Lucius Verus lived a life of excess, indulging pleasure, luxuries, and entertained by vices. It is said that when the Roman definitively defeated the Parthians, Rome’s own imperial commander, Lucius Verus, was not present because he was partying—yet he was still credited for the victory. Lucius Verus became ill and died from what was suspected to be a plunge his army brought back from the Middle East.

Lucius is a contrast to Marcus. Both studied philosophy and grew up groomed to be wise rulers by their adoptive father Emperor Antonius Pious (another wise ruler and Marcus role model), yet Marcus chose to adhere to his philosophy to selflessly strive for the common good and Lucius abandoned his for selfishly aimless pursuits.

Marcus Aurelius’ reign was not a pedestrian one. The two decades that Marcus ruled over Rome was certainly tumultuous. During his reign, Rome fought two wars to secure its borders, endured a decade-long plague (one of the worst in European history), and was threatened by betrayal and civil war. In addition, throughout his adult life, Marcus suffered loss: he lost eight children, his wife of nearly 40-years, his adoptive father and brother, among many others.

It would be understandable for Marcus to become bitter. As emperor, he carried more than enough stress that could compress anyone, while also enduring personal tragedies. It is easy to imagine how it all could have led him to develop a cruel pessimistic worldview. After all, he never wanted to wear a crown. He desired a simple life full of family and wisdom, yet he found himself living a life of loss and strain.

Marcus Aurelius accepted reality as it was, not what he wished it ought to be, and he recognized the gravity of his position; how vital his character was to achieve the common good for all. He understood anger and bitterness is a waste: “And why should we feel anger at the world? As if the world would notice!“. Instead of despairing or escaping difficulties, as many kings have, he had the courage to face them. Marcus Aurelius knew he was the leader that must steer the Roman people through hardships, and he allowed the wisdom and philosophy that constructed his character to guide him.

He would endure it all and be better for it: "If It's Endurable, Then endure it."

He saw every trouble and tragedy as an opportunity to showcase virtue and to better himself, Rome, and humanity: “The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacle to our acting. The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”

When Marcus Aurelius endured the personal tragedy of loved ones, like the death of eight of his children, wife, brother, and parents, Marcus allowed loss and death to humble him. Death is an eventuality for all, even an emperor. So, he constantly reminded himself that he and those he cared for will die, and not necessarily in the future, but that same day. The periphery of death kept him humble. It reminded him that although he is the most powerful man in the world, he is still just a man. He repeated to himself that Alexander the Great and his mule driver both died and are buried in the same earth. Death and loss made him grateful for those he cared for deeply. He reminded himself that no one is graduated to make it through the night, so he learned to appreciate the moments he was gifted because future moments are not guaranteed: “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.”

When Rome suffered a decade-long plague, Marcus chose to remain in the disease-infested Roman capital to endure with the people. He saw an opportunity to display humility and selflessness. He chose to humble himself and listen to the judgment of expert medical practitioners of the time, and he delegated to the most competent of them. To raise money for efforts to mitigate the suffering of the plague, Marcus sold his imperial furniture and jewelry in the markets. He did not panic and remained strong for his people. He showed them that he did not value his life or safety above any other in Rome. He displayed true leadership

Marcus Aurelius was a pragmatic and bookish philosophical individual, not a soldier or commander. Yet, he chose to display courage and leadership by leading and fighting with his army on the battlefields to protect the borders of Rome. He acknowledged he did not have a proclivity towards warfare and lacked experience, so he delegated military authority to his competent generals to ensure effective command.

Most extraordinary is, while amid war, when Marcus Aurelius was confronted with the reality of the betrayal by his wife and close friend, Avidius Cassius, and an impending civil war, he chose to exhibit mercy and compassion. Roman General Avidius Cassius, believeing rumors of Marcus‘ death, conspired with Empress Faustina and wrongly proclaim himself the new Emperor of Rome. Even once he leaned the truth of Marcus life, he continued his claim as emperor. Rome had not seen civil war in 200 years, since the days of Julius Caesar, when they were common and tore at the empire. They had always started and ended the same: betrayal and revenge then war and defeat. Marcus saw this as an opportunity to set an example for all humanity to come on how one can virtuously handle a coup. Instead of marching on the usurper and engaging his army in a bloody conflict, he chose to have mercy and forgive a friend; to stay loyal to someone who had broken loyalty; to keep faith with someone who had betrayed him. Marcus was loved by Rome and his army and after a couple of months, Avidius Cassius’ own soldiers assassinated him to prevent a civil war. Marcus was never given that opportunity to set that example for all those to come after.

“No it’s fortunate that this has happened and I’ve remained unharmed by it — not shattered by the present or frightened of the future. It could have happened to anyone. But not everyone could have remained unharmed by it.”

Conclusion:

No one truly remembers Marcus Aurelius for his campaigns or his policies. They remember him for his character. Even Marcus himself did not care for posthumous fame. Nothing he did was for the goal of glory and being remembered. All he did was what he believed was for the common good. He let the integrity and virtues he gained through philosophy guide him as king.

The power of his exalted status did not corrupt nor ruin him, instead, it made him a better person. He proved he was worthy of his crown.

“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.”