Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §7.72.1

The Rational Faculty Judging Non-Rational Things Inferior

Passage 268 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author states that the rational and social faculty reasonably judges anything that is neither intellectual nor social to be inferior to itself.

§7.72.1Ὃ ἂν ἡ λογικὴ καὶ πολιτικὴ δύναμις εὑρίσκῃ μήτε νοερὸν μήτε κοινωνικόν, εὐλόγως καταδεέστερον ἑαυτῆς κρίνει.
Whatever the rational and social faculty finds to be neither intellectual nor social, it reasonably judges to be inferior to itself.

Notes

  1. §7.72.1Ὃ ἂν ... εὑρίσκῃ — A generalizing relative clause with the relative pronoun ὅ (containing its antecedent) combined with the conditional particle ἄν and the subjunctive, meaning 'whatever ...'. It functions as the direct object of the main verb κρίνει.
  2. §7.72.1καταδεέστερον ἑαυτῆς — The comparative adjective καταδεέστερον (neuter singular accusative, functioning as an object complement agreeing with the relative pronoun ὅ) is followed by the genitive of comparison ἑαυτῆς. The reflexive pronoun ἑαυτῆς (feminine singular genitive) refers back to the subject of the main clause, the feminine noun ἡ ... δύναμις.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §7.72.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.72.1

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.