Abstract
This paper provides a discussion of Roman Emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius' "Meditations". The discussion focuses on how Aurelius believes it is critical for human beings to discipline desire, action, and judgment or assent to live the good life and help others.

From the Paper
"Marcus Aurelius' philosophy is put down in what amount to notes in "Mediations". In "Mediations", Aurelius offers an eclectic but primarily stoic philosophy that derives from a basis of three disciplines, the discipline of desire, the discipline of action, and the discipline of assent. This analysis will provide a discussion of these three disciplines and how adopting them and other dogma leads to inner attitudes that align with justice, altruism and destiny. In "Meditations", Marcus Aurelius maintains we will develop the right inner..."

Tags:selfish, unselfish, character, virtues, values, sacrifice, commitment, stoicism

From the Paper
"Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was the last of the great Roman Stoics and the so-called Five Good Emperors. His death brought an end to the Pax Romana, a period in ancient Roman history with relative peace and prosperity. In many ways, the Roman Empire reached its climax with the reign of Marcus Aurelius; he was perhaps the closest thing to a true "philosopher king" ever to rule a great nation. His reign from 161-180 C.E. was viewed by later generations as the very ideal of a sovereign head of state (Farquharson 25). His philosophy of life is well depicted in the movie "Gladiator", but his interests in naming an heir do not share the same historical accuracy."

Tags:marcus, aurelius, rome, roman, empire, pax, romana, meditations

From the Paper
"This paper considers the hypothesis that Sophocles, Plato, Marcus Aurelius, and Andraeus Capellanus were all individuals struggling to live in times that they believed were regrettable departures from a more secure and desirable past, and that their writing was both an attempt at personal consolation and an effort to influence the society in which they lived. The primary works to be considered in dealing with this hypothesis are Sophocles? Oedipus cycle, the Platonic dialogues that are usually grouped as "the last days of Socrates," the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, and Capellanus? The Art of Courtly Love.
As a first pass, one might propose that the hypothesis seems to be true for all the authors except Sophocles. Plato's dislike of Athenian democracy, which had executed his beloved teacher, Socrates, is well-known. His two longest works, the Republic and the.."

From the Paper
"Review of the great works of Sophocles, Plato, Marcus Aurelius and Andreas Capellanus suggest that each of these men were shaped by their respective eras. Curiously, the classical writings of Sophocles and Plato appear not only to codify the age in which they lived but to challenge it to aspire to new heights. In The Oedipus Cycle Sophocles presents Oedipus the King as an Everyman who struggles to do good and avoid evil. Yet the drama heightens when the audience understands that despite his well established objectives, Oedipus commits the horrendous crimes of murdering his father and marrying his mother. Sophoclean drama appears to argue that unless societies can learn to deal with its deviances as well as its norms, they are destined to self-destruct. Sophocles adopts a stance of exhortation shared even..."

Abstract
This paper examines the ideas of Ovid and Marcus Aurelius on morality as evidenced in their works 'The Metamorphoses' and 'Meditations', respectively.

From the Paper
"Ovid's 'The Metamorphoses' and Marcus Aurelius' 'Meditations' provide differing views on a variety of issues but one of the most notable is that of morality. Ovid's 'The Metamorphoses' is a poem that describes the transformations of people and things into new forms and emphasizes the role of the gods in man's life. Starting with the creation of the world in ..."

Tags:Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Ovid, Metamorphoses, moral, morality

Abstract
This paper examines how, in his "Meditations", Marcus Aurelius seeks to make sense of the conflicting needs of being the sovereign of the Roman Empire and his own personal philosophy of Stoicism. The paper looks at how, although Marcus Aurelius glosses over important failings such as his treatment of Christians and the circumstances of his rise to power, the "Meditations" has much to offer. The paper also shows how, by providing an ethical foothold, Marcus Aurelius' "Meditations" continues to resonate more than 2,000 years after its initial inception.

From the Paper
"For example, Marcus Aurelius believed that ideas about good and evil are not immutable. Rather, they are the products of human judgments, composites created by a person's preconceptions and mental habits. It remains up to a person whether or not to accept these impressions as true. Marcus maintained that a person has to "examine everything all through, what is its material, what the formal part" (Marcus Aurelius, Mediations, 12, 29). Therefore, it is imperative that people rigorously examine their impressions, making sure they are not swayed by unwarranted value judgments."

Tags:stoicism, christians, power, sovereign, empire

Abstract
A compare and contrast paper looking at Marcus Aurelius's "Meditations" and Niccolo Machiavelli's "The Prince". The author shows how both reflect the moral opinions of their respective times. They both delve into the good and evil in society and people in general.

From the Paper
"Everyone at some point in their life is called upon to give their opinions on moral and ethical issues we face. During two very different, yet pivotal time periods in human history, papers were written as a sort of guideline to aid people with this task. Both describe how we should conduct ourselves as a people. The first of which is Marcus Aurelius? Meditations, in which the values of virtue and tranquility are focused upon in a very stoic manner. The second, which can only be labeled as a polar opposite to the latter, is Niccolo Machiavelli's "The Prince", where greed and dishonesty are the central philosophies. Both are relative to the time period in which they were written and reflect the ideals of the location as well. While being so different, both essays describe similar underlying traits of humans, being either good or evil."

Tags:good, evil, society

From the Paper
"The "heroic" life: until recently, this was the stuff of legend, epic poetry and philosophers' focus. Most certainly it was in the center of the ancients' view of Life. "Life," here, is purposely capitalized; it is the view of a world-universe-sacred-and-profane existence that does not separate the mythic from the mundane. One might call that a "religious" mindset - and the naming would be correct. In the ancient world, religion and life were more often than not one-and-the-same. As was the concept of "heroism": a person's acts were defined as heroic - or not - based upon one's religious/philosophic approach to Life. In the Western tradition, that approach changed over the centuries of ancient civilization: from the primal heroism of the ancient Greeks, as exemplified in Homer's epic poem The Iliad, through the Stoic conception of the Romans found in Marcus ..."

Abstract
The ideas, attitudes, and issues of Greek and Roman life can be compared by considering some of the major Greek and Roman writers and what their work focuses on. This consideration provides the details that allow their ideas to be compared and the problems they were focused on to be compared , as well as the characteristics of the societies they lived in. This consideration begins by describing the Greek writers Socrates, Plato, and Thucydides. This is followed by a consideration of the Roman writers Polybius, Suetonius, and Aurelius.

From the Paper
"Socrates was born in Greece in 469 B.C. and died in 399 B.C. Socrates writings are based on a philosophical approach and one of his major concerns was how to achieve virtue. This includes his statement that nobody every knowingly does wrong, and that any wrong action is a result of people not knowing enough to make the right decision. This thinking is based on a consideration of the nature of life for the individual, and is not concerned with more practical issues. Socrates also considered the nature of the state in some of his works and battled between wanting to accept the leadership of the state, and not believing that the state should have the ultimate power. In the end, Socrates decided that even when an individual is not treated justly, it is not justifiable for them to disobey the laws of the state. This represents a general belief in the system of government of the time."

Tags:Socrates, Plato, Thucydides, Polybius, Suetonius, Aurelius

Abstract
This paper looks at Ridley Scott's movie , "Gladiator." The author compares and contrasts the movie's portrayal of Marcus Aurelius, Commodus, and Maximus Decimus Meridius, with what happened to them in their "real" lives in ancient Rome.

From the Paper
"Marcus Aurelius was actually the Roman Emperor at the time the movie took place. The real Marcus Aurelius was the last of the Five Great Emperors of Rome. He ruled from 161 to 180 BC. The movie corresponded nicely with these dates. As portrayed in the movie, Marcus was a very wise stoic philosopher. In the movie Marcus desired to hand Rome to the Senate and showed so in his handing the Empire down to Maximus. In actuality Marcus Aurelius did often portray the image that he respected the Senate and publicly held a very Republican point of view. Speculations have been made though, that Marcus Aurelius simply may have put up this front to avoid the fate of other rulers such as Julius Caesar."

Tags:acuracy, ancient, aurelius, commodus, decimus, fact, fiction, film, gladiator, marcus, maximus, meridius, movie, rome