Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §12.30.1

The Unity of All Things and Social Affinity of Intellect

Passage 480 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author presents the manifestation of the 'One' in all things (light, substance, soul, intellect), explaining that while even non-sentient things are held together by a unifying force, the intellect actively seeks its own kind to maintain social connection.

§12.30.1Ἓν φῶς ἡλίου, κἂν διείργηται τοίχοις, ὄρεσιν, ἄλλοις μυρίοις.
One light of the sun, even if it is interrupted by walls, mountains, and countless other things.
μία οὐσία κοινή, κἂν διείργηται ἰδίως ποιοῖς σώμασι μυρίοις.
One common substance, even if it is divided by countless individually qualified bodies.
μία ψυχή, κἂν φύσεσι διείργηται μυρίαις καὶ ἰδίαις περιγραφαῖς.
One soul, even if it is divided by countless natures and individual circumscriptions.
μία νοερὰ ψυχή, κἂν διακεκρίσθαι δοκῇ.
One intellectual soul, even if it seems to be separated.
τὰ μὲν οὖν ἄλλα μέρη τῶν εἰρημένων, οἷον πνεύματα καὶ ὑποκείμενα, ἀναίσθητα καὶ ἀνοικείωτα ἀλλήλοις· καίτοι κἀκεῖνα τὸ ἑνοῦν συνέχει καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ τὰ αὐτὰ βρῖθον.
Now the other parts of the aforementioned things, such as breaths and substrates, are devoid of sensation and have no affinity with one another; and yet, even those things are held together by that which unifies them and by their gravitation toward the same.
διάνοια δὲ ἰδίως ἐπὶ τὸ ὁμόφυλον τείνεται καὶ συνίσταται καὶ οὐ διείργεται τὸ κοινωνικὸν πάθος.
But the intellect peculiarly tends toward its own kind, and associates with it, and this social feeling is not divided.

Notes

  1. 12.30.1κἂν — A contraction of καὶ ἐάν (or καὶ ἄν), here used with the subjunctive διείργηται (and δοκῇ) to express a concessive condition ('even if', 'although').
  2. 12.30.1τὸ ἑνοῦν — The neuter singular present active participle of ἑνόω (to unify) with the definite article, functioning substantively as 'that which unifies'. Together with the following phrase τὸ ἐπὶ τὰ αὐτὰ βρῖθον (that which gravitates toward the same), it serves as the subject of the transitive verb συνέχει.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §12.30.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:12.30.1

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