Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §3.9.1

Revering the Faculty of Judgment and Its Fruits

Passage 43 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author urges to revere the faculty of judgement to maintain harmony with nature and rational constitution, which guarantees freedom from rashness, friendship to humans, and obedience to the gods.

§3.9.1Τὴν ὑποληπτικὴν δύναμιν σέβε.
Revere the faculty of judgement.
ἐν ταύτῃ τὸ πᾶν, ἵνα ὑπόληψις τῷ ἡγεμονικῷ σου μηκέτι ἐγγένηται ἀνακόλουθος τῇ φύσει καὶ τῇ τοῦ λογικοῦ ζῴου κατασκευῇ, αὕτη δὲ ἐπαγγέλλεται ἀπροπτωσίαν καὶ τὴν πρὸς ἀνθρώπους οἰκείωσιν καὶ τὴν τοῖς θεοῖς ἀκολουθίαν.
In this lies everything, so that no judgement may arise in your governing principle that is inconsistent with nature and with the constitution of a rational being. And this promises freedom from rashness, and friendship towards human beings, and obedience to the gods.

Notes

  1. §3.9.1ἀνακόλουθος — A nominative adjective agreeing in gender, number, and case with the subject ὑπόληψις, functioning as a predicate adjective. It governs the dative objects (τῇ φύσει and τῇ ... κατασκευῇ) to mean "inconsistent with" or "incompatible with."
  2. §3.9.1αὕτη — On the antecedent of the demonstrative pronoun (feminine singular nominative). It can refer grammatically to the nearest feminine noun κατασκευῇ (constitution), or contextually to the main subject of the section, ὑποληπτικὴν δύναμιν (faculty of judgement). In either case, it designates the source that guarantees the benefits of a state in harmony with rational nature.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §3.9.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.9.1

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