The Selfless Mind And Stoicism Of Marcus Aurelius by George McDowell

Author:George McDowell [McDowell, George]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2020-09-05T16:00:00+00:00

“Truths such as this should also be carefully noted, that even the by-products of natural processes have a certain charm and attractiveness. Bread, for instance, in the course of its baking, tends to crack open here and there, and yet these very cracks, which are, in a sense, offenses against the baker’s art, somehow appeal to us and, in a curious way, promote our appetite for the food.” (Med. 3.2)

Marcus here illustrates the contrast between our confused sense of self-interest and the cosmic interest. Some events may seem to be evil because they are imperfect to some part of nature, as the cracks in the bread are imperfect to the baker’s art, but from a broader perspective, they have a charm and attractiveness that can be recognized by everyone. But even “the gaping jaws of a lion, and poison, and every noxious thing, from thistle to a quagmire, are by-products of what is sublime and noble. Do not suppose, then, that these are alien to what you revere, but direct your thoughts to the common source of all things”. Marcus’ apparent pessimism is thus only the first step, one of detachment from externals, towards the cosmic perspective from which everything shows its beauty as being a result of nature and destiny. The road to the achievement of this perspective is provided by the same epistemic attitude that realizes a reasonable and selfless behavior towards others. This epistemic attitude is an unyielding dedication to the avoidance of accepting anything false, even though the whole truth may not always be gained, which is a shared feature of Stoic and Skeptic epistemology and psychology but in which the Stoics takes up a more positive position.

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