Inaug.-Diss.--Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität zu München. / Bibliography: p. 179-198.

Although written down almost two thousand years ago, the philosophical topics that are discussed in the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius are just as relevant to contemplate today as they were in his time. In the Meditations, Marcus reflects on many themes regarding the human condition and what his own individual task may be in a world full of wrongdoers, natural changes, and death. Thoughts about his own and other people’s mortality occur often throughout the work as if he always wants to keep the imminence of death present in his mind, but why is that so? In this essay, I investigate that question with the aim to better understand what role reflections on death has in his philosophy. What purpose does these contemplations on death serve? What is the meaning with reflecting on death for him? By analysing all extracts from the book concerning the theme of death, I found that Marcus primarily think about death for four different reasons: (1) to remind himself not to fear death, (2) to remind himself not to get distracted by things that, in the presence of death, appear trivial and unimportant by viewing life on earth from above, (3) to remind himself of what actually is important, namely moral virtue and maximizing the present moment, and (4) to remind himself that liberation is coming and that death soon will relieve him from his weary and exhausting life. I also place my analysis in relation to what other studies on Marcus Aurelius have found and compare my view with the likes of Pierre Hadot, William O. Stephens, and John Sellars.

Contemporary debates in ethics are characterised by opposing views that appear to be irreconcilable. Rational debates seem to be making no headway due to the fact that the incompatibilities of the different views seem to lie within the very premises of the different arguments. These debates acquire an interminable character, because representatives of the different standpoints refuse to accept each others’ premises. MacIntyre attributes this state of affairs to the failure of the Enlightenment project. In their attempt to create a universally valid moral system the Enlightenment philosophers discredited the ethical traditions and emphasized reason as the only authority on these matters. The supposedly “universal” rational arguments are built on premises the Enlightenment thinkers inherited from the exact same ethical traditions whose authority they consciously undermined. The irony of the Enlightenment project is therefore that it caused its own failure. MacIntyre believes that the Enlightenment thinkers were mistaken in undermining the authority of all the ethical traditions. He argues that the authority of the critical traditions is legitimate. A critical tradition is a moral tradition where some form of rational enquiry is embodied in the tradition itself. MacIntyre defends the authority of the Aristotelian tradition as the critical tradition per se. In my own enquiry I defend the authority of the Stoic tradition. I attempt to point out the flaws in MacIntyre’s understanding of the Stoics and argue that in some respects the Stoic tradition is a better alternative to the Aristotelian one. After having justified the authority of the Stoic tradition I take a closer look at what their ethics entail. The Stoics have what Cottingham refers to as a “synoptic” conception of philosophy. This means that they tried to integrate all the aspects of human understanding into a single system. Therefore, if one wishes to give a comprehensive picture of their ethics it is necessary to explain their philosophical work on physics and logic as well. I do so by comparing their understanding of physics to the contemporary understanding thereof. The Stoics believed that philosophy is not an abstract theoretical discipline, but rather a way of life. Theoretical arguments play an important role in so far as it helps us to comprehend the nature of the good, but ultimately philosophy is about helping us to live a good life. In light of this understanding I argue that they conceived of ethics as the art of living. The Stoics also believed that one could practice ethics as a form of therapy for our emotions. They believed that emotions such as anger and depression are caused by misguided ways of thinking and that ultimately the good life would cultivate our spirit and enable us to become more resistant to these types of emotions. Simultaneously it will enable us to experience more rational emotions such as joy. The ultimate aim of my research project is to highlight the important contributions the Stoics can make to the crisis we are currently experiencing in ethical discourse. / Dissertation (MA (Philosophy))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Philosophy / unrestricted

The classification of the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius as a spiritual exercise by Pierre Hadot has been widely accepted and exerts a strong influence on any interpretation of the text. However, such genre categorization is by itself an interpretative choice excluding other possible readings. The present thesis offers a new reading of the Meditations based on Gilles Deleuze's interpretation of stoicism and on his philosophy of event. This reading avoids any genre classification and focuses instead on the text itself by analyzing the changes of linguistic person. The Deleuzian interpretation of linguistic person and his concept of event allow for explanation of this particular feature of the Meditations and thus for addressing the problem of person and individual in stoic philosophy. Furthermore, the Deleuzian framework makes it possible to explore significant, but up to now marginalized themes recurring in the text that are directly linked to the problem of individuation - non-tragic theatre and death.

This project examines and compares the political philosophies supporting the centralized authority of monarchs elaborated by two major figures of antiquity, Mèngzǐ (Mencius, 372-289 BC) of the Warring States period in China, and Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Μαρκος Αυρηλιος Αντωνινος, 121-180 AD) of the later Roman Empire. The texts that have transmitted the ideas of these two men--the Mèngzǐ and the Meditations--have shaped the political actions of rulers, as well as the ideas and ideals of political theorists, from their formation down to the present day. Each thinker made substantial claims concerning the role of a philosophically-oriented monarch in actualizing governance that is both benevolent and beneficent under a form of absolute authority. The present study will compare basic principles of Mèngzǐ's and Marcus's political philosophies as they relate to monarchical rule expressed in those two classic works, and draw from these principles to create a new criterion in political philosophy that can be used to critique contemporary political arrangements characterized by strong centralization of power. This project will not be a polemic for monarchy or strongly centralized political governments; it is an exploration into political philosophical principles advocated by Marcus and Mèngzǐ, demonstrating how rulers in strongly centralized political institutions can exercise their power in ways that result in good for the people, and how principles advocated by Marcus and Mèngzǐ can be transformed into a criterion for practical application in contemporary political settings, without having to resort to political philosophical principles popular in most Anglo-European contexts.

Cette thèse a pour but de traiter l’idéologie du règne d’Antonin le Pieux et sa transmission dans la province d’Égypte grâce aux monnaies frappées à Rome et à Alexandrie. À cette fin, deux volumes sont proposés. Le premier est un commentaire historique, s’appuyant sur les monnaies frappées dans les deux cités, afin de dégager les principaux thèmes représentés. Le deuxième volume se consacre à la numismatique, avec un catalogue des monnaies frappées à Rome issues de la Collection du Cabinet des Médailles de Paris, et d’une introduction proposant des datations des émissions et des explications pour plusieurs types représentés. La comparaison entre les monnaies émises dans les différents ateliers a permis de constater que les principaux thèmes diffusent les idées de paix, de prospérité, d’abondance, de l’éternité de Rome et du système impérial, grâce à la famille de l’empereur, qui permet d’assurer la succession. Ces thèmes sont présents, tout au long du règne, à Rome, et adaptés à Alexandrie grâce à un répertoire iconographique local. Bien qu’utilisant les cultes locaux pour diffuser des messages, l’atelier provincial est donc soumis au contrôle du pouvoir central, qui diffuse l’idéologie du règne d’Antonin. / This thesis aims to treat the ideology of the reign of Antoninus Pius and its transmission in the province of Egypt thanks to the coins minted in Rome and Alexandria. To this end, two volumes are proposed. The first is a historical commentary based on the coins struck in the two cities in order to identify the main themes that are represented. The second volume focuses more on numismatics with a catalog of coins minted in Rome from the Collection of the Cabinet des Médailles in Paris, and an introduction proposing datings of the issues and explanations for several types represented. The comparison of the currencies issued from the various workshops revealed that the main themes spread the ideas of peace, prosperity, abundance, the eternity of Rome and the imperial system, thanks to the Emperor's family, which ensures the succession. The themes are present, throughout the reign, in Rome, and adapted to Alexandria thanks to a local iconographic repertoire. Although using local cults to spread messages, the provincial workshop is therefore subject to the control of the central power, which diffuses the ideology of the reign of Antoninus.

Il lavoro consiste nell'analisi dei tratti peculiari della lingua delle Meditazioni dell'imperatore Marco Aurelio Antonino in relazione alla prosa imperiale coeva all'autore; nel contempo la ricerca mira a riconoscere una possibile influenza della lingua latina nella stesura del trattato. / The work is about the language of Marcus Aurelius's Meditations compared to the imperial contemporary prose and tries to find influences of Latin language in the composition of the treatise.

There has been to date no attempt at a detailed examination of Aleksandr Grin’s philosophical views interpreted on the basis of his literary work. Whilst some critics have noted interesting links between the writer’s oeuvre and a few popular philosophers, this has usually been done in passing and on an ad hoc basis. This thesis aims to fill this gap by reconstructing Grin’s views in relation to the European philosophical tradition. The main body of the thesis consists of three parts built on and named after three essential themes in philosophy: External World, Happiness and Morality. Part One delineates Grin’s views on nature and civilisation: I argue first that his cult of nature makes it possible to conceive of Grin as a pantheistic thinker close to Rousseau and Bergson, and then I reconstruct the author’s criticism of urbanisation and industrialisation. In the second part I assess the place of happiness in Grin’s world-view, indicating its similarities to the philosophy of various thinkers from the Ancients to Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. After sketching a general picture of the concept of happiness in Grin’s works, I discuss the place of material and immaterial factors in the writer’s outlook. I also gather maxims expressed by the protagonists in his fiction that can be taken as recommendations concerning ways of achieving and defending happiness. Finally, I link happiness with the problem of morality in Grin’s oeuvre. In the final part I examine modes of moral behaviour as displayed by the author’s protagonists. Firstly, I argue that in Grin’s works we find numerous examples and themes that allow us to perceive him as an existentialist. Secondly, I indicate Grin’s adherence to rules of conduct commonly associated with chivalric literature. Thirdly, I emphasise the importance of Promethean-like characters in the moral hierarchy of Grin’s protagonists.

No description available.

Cette recherche vise à cerner la complexité du concept du soi (heauton) dans la philosophie stoïcienne de l’empereur Marc Aurèle. Dans un premier temps, il s’agira de poser les bases de la physique stoïcienne qui nous permettent de saisir le paradoxe de l’existence d’individualités singulières au sein du grand Tout universel. Nous étudierons, pour ce faire, la théorie corporéiste stoïcienne ainsi que les concepts d’idia poiotês et d’oikeiôsis forgés par l’ancien stoïcisme, mais aussi la prohairesis épictéenne. Cela nous conduira à traiter du concept d’hêgemonikon central dans la conception du soi chez Marc Aurèle. Dans un deuxième temps, nous aborderons les caractéristiques de la partie dirigeante de l’âme par l’entremise de l’étude des disciplines du soi et de son altérité intérieure. Ainsi nous verrons comment le soi ne se présente pas comme un donné fixe, mais comme un espace relationnel en développement constant. Finalement, nous nous pencherons sur la question de la construction du soi, ce qui nous mènera à considérer l’importance du travail sur soi pour l’empereur Marc Aurèle. La problématique qui guidera notre recherche est celle qui vise à saisir ce qui constitue essentiellement le soi alors que celui-ci se présente comme un espace en aménagement constant, ouvert à l’altérité et qui n’est pas donné une fois pour toutes, mais construit. / This research aims to identify the complexity of the concept of the self in the Stoic philosophy of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. First, we will lay the bases of Stoic physics which allow us to grasp the paradox of the existence of singular individualities within the great universal Whole. To do this, we will study the Stoic corporeist theory as well as the concepts of idia poiotês and oikeiôsis forged by ancient Stoicism, but also the Epictean prohairesis. This will lead us to address the concept of hêgemonikon which is central in the conception of the self for Marcus Aurelius. Secondly, we will approach the characteristics of the ruling part of the soul through the study of the disciplines of the self and its interior otherness. Thus, we will see how the self is not a fixed datum, but a relational space in constant evolution. Finally, we will address the question of self-construction, which will lead us to consider the importance of the work on oneself for Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The question that will guide our research is to grasp what essentially constitutes the self when it is presented as a space in constant development, open to otherness and which is not given once and for all but constructed.