Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §6.35.1

The Craftsman's Fidelity and Respect for Reason

Passage 172 of 486 · Greek

Summary

By showing how craftsmen adhere to the rules of their craft despite accommodating laymen, the author points out the absurdity of humans not respecting their own reason, which they share with the gods, even more than that.

§6.35.1Οὐχ ὁρᾷς πῶς οἱ βάναυσοι τεχνῖται ἁρμόζονται μὲν μέχρι τινὸς πρὸς τοὺς ἰδιώτας, οὐδὲν ἧσσον μέντοι ἀντέχονται τοῦ λόγου τῆς τέχνης καὶ τούτου ἀποστῆναι οὐχ ὑπομένουσιν;
Do you not see how the ordinary craftsmen accommodate themselves to some extent to laymen, but nevertheless hold fast to the rational principle of their art and cannot endure to depart from it?
οὐ δεινὸν εἰ ὁ ἀρχιτέκτων καὶ ὁ ἰατρὸς μᾶλλον αἰδέσονται τὸν τῆς ἰδίας τέχνης λόγον ἢ ὁ ἄνθρωπος τὸν ἑαυτοῦ, ὃς αὐτῷ κοινός ἐστι πρὸς τοὺς θεούς;
Is it not a shame then if the architect and the physician respect the rational principle of their own art more than man respects his own, which he shares with the gods?

Notes

  1. §6.35.1τοῦ λόγου τῆς τέχνης — Here λόγος refers to the 'rule', 'principle', or 'reason' of the craft (τέχνη). It is contrasted with the later 'man's own rational principle' (τὸν ἑαυτοῦ [λόγον]), reflecting two applications of the single concept of Logos.
  2. §6.35.1οὐ δεινὸν εἰ — A construction expressing strong rhetorical indignation, meaning 'Is it not a shame/strange if...'. The εἰ clause, while conditional in form, functions like a noun clause introducing a factual or highly possible state of affairs ('that...').
  3. §6.35.1ὃς αὐτῷ κοινός ἐστι πρὸς τοὺς θεούς — The antecedent of the relative pronoun ὃς is the accusative noun λόγον, omitted after τὸν ἑαυτοῦ. The dative αὐτῷ refers back to the subject ὁ ἄνθρωπος ('for him/to him'). The phrase expresses 'which is common to him with the gods'.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §6.35.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.35.1

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