Person
Marcus Aurelius
Philosophy & Ethics
History & CivilizationsWho is Marcus Aurelius in the Agency editorial?
Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor of the second century and a Stoic philosopher, known for the book called Meditations. In the Agency editorial, Issue.7 names him among the emperors who spent time in Athens for intellectual pursuits, and Issue.10 credits him with a quotation placed at the end of a section.
In short
Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher who wrote the Meditations, is named in two issues of the Agency editorial, briefly in both. In Issue.7, in the passage about the lasting prestige of Athens after the age of Pericles, the author writes that the emperors Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius spent time in the city to engage in intellectual pursuits and enhance their own intellects. In Issue.10 his name is the credit of a quotation that closes a section, right after the author invites readers to get in touch: "The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts." The issue does not comment on the sentence. Neither issue discusses his reign or his philosophy.
Key facts
- What does Issue.7 say about Marcus Aurelius?
- That, like the emperor Hadrian, he spent time in Athens to engage in intellectual pursuits. The author uses this as evidence of how the intellectual standing of Athens won over its Roman conquerors.
- Which quotation does Issue.10 credit to him?
- "The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts." It appears alone, with his name as the credit, at the end of the section that comes before the one on the future of Agency.
- Do the issues discuss his philosophy?
- No. One issue names him in a list of two emperors and the other gives a single quotation without comment. Stoicism and the Meditations are not discussed in either.
Who is Marcus Aurelius?
Marcus Aurelius was Roman emperor from 161 to 180. He is also remembered as a Stoic philosopher, author of the personal notes that came to be known as the Meditations. These facts come from outside the editions and are marked for verification.
How does Marcus Aurelius appear in the Agency editorial?
Issue.7 tells the story of Athens under Pericles and of the respect the city kept after its political and military decline. In that passage the author writes that even the conquerors succumbed to the intellectual eminence of Athens, and names Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius as emperors who spent time there to engage in intellectual pursuits. It is one sentence in a historical account.
Issue.10 uses him as the source of a quotation. At the end of a section, after telling readers they can reach out by e-mail or phone call, the author sets the sentence about the soul being dyed with the color of its thoughts, credited to Marcus Aurelius. The issue gives no work or passage for it and adds no comment.
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.