Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §12.31.1

The Vanity of Vital Functions and Following Reason

Passage 481 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author points out the vanity of various vital functions and urges adherence to the ultimate goal of following reason and God, noting the contradiction between honoring this goal and fearing death.

§12.31.1Τί ἐπιζητεῖς;

What do you seek?

τὸ διαπνεῖσθαι;

To continue breathing?

ἀλλὰ τὸ αἰσθάνεσθαι;

Or to perceive?

τὸ ὁρμᾶν;

To have impulse?

τὸ αὔξεσθαι;

To grow?

τὸ λήγειν αὖθις;

And again to cease?

τὸ φωνῇ χρῆσθαι;

To use your voice?

τὸ διανοεῖσθαι;

To think?

τί τούτων πόθου σοι ἄξιον δοκεῖ;

Which of these seems to you worthy of desire?

εἰ δὲ ἕκαστα εὐκαταφρόνητα, πρόιθι ἐπὶ τελευταῖον τὸ ἕπεσθαι τῷ λόγῳ καὶ τῷ θεῷ.

But if each of these is of no account, go on to the last, which is to follow reason and God.

ἀλλὰ μάχεται τὸ τιμᾶν ταῦτα, τὸ ἄχθεσθαι εἰ διὰ τοῦ τεθνηκέναι στερήσεταί τις αὐτῶν.

Yet, to honor these is at variance with grieving if one shall be deprived of them by death.

Notes

§12.31.1ἀλλὰ μάχεται τὸ τιμᾶν ταῦτα, τὸ ἄχθεσθαι εἰ διὰ τοῦ τεθνηκέναι στερήσεταί τις αὐτῶν. — The two infinitive phrases 'τὸ τιμᾶν ταῦτα' (to honor these) and 'τὸ ἄχθεσθαι...' (to grieve...) stand in parallel as subjects of the verb 'μάχεται' (to conflict, to be at variance). The demonstrative pronoun 'ταῦτα' refers to the immediately preceding action of 'following reason and God', while 'αὐτῶν' refers to the physiological and intellectual functions (breathing, perceiving, etc.) listed at the beginning of the section. Thus, it points out the logical contradiction between honoring reason and God, and grieving over the loss of vital functions by death.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §12.31.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:12.31.1

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