Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
One measure, perhaps, of a book's worth, is its intergenerational pliancy: do new readers acquire it and interpret it afresh down through the ages? The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, translated and introduced by Gregory Hays, by that standard, is very worthwhile, indeed. Hays suggests that its most recent incarnation--as a self-help book--is not only valid, but may be close to the author's intent. The book, which Hays calls, fondly, a "haphazard set of notes," is indicative of the role of philosophy among the ancients in that it is "expected to provide a 'design for living.'" And it does, both aphoristically ("Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what's left and live it properly.") and rhetorically ("What is it in ourselves that we should prize?"). Whether these, and other entries ("Enough of this wretched, whining monkey life.") sound life-changing or like entries in a teenager's diary is up to the individual reader, as it should be. Hays's introduction, which sketches the life of Marcus Aurelius (emperor of Rome A.D. 161-180) as well as the basic tenets of stoicism, is accessible and jaunty. --H. O'Billovich --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Book Description
The study of philosophy and other scholarly pursuits were the things that Marcus Aurelius loved most of all, but it was his lot, as emperor of Rome between 161 and 180 A.D., to spend most of his reign fighting barbarians far from home. The hardships of living in an army camp did not stop him from writing, though. His Meditations have survived and are popular amongst those who study the Stoic philosophers. Stoicism is a fundamental world view. It was most vigorously espoused and popularized by the best of Rome's hard-headed intellectuals. The Meditations praise independence of thought. They demonstrate the importance of the idea that a person is responsible for his own actions and that everything beyond his control is not worth worrying about. For Aurelius and for us, life is a matter of choices, and one must always choose the good. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition. |
