Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §9.39.1

Providence or Atoms and Calm of the Ruling Centre

Passage 371 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author presents the dilemma of whether the universe is governed by a rational providence or is a mere random dispersion of atoms, concluding that in either case, the ruling centre of the soul has no reason to be disturbed or corrupted.

§9.39.1Ἤτοι ἀπὸ μιᾶς πηγῆς νοερᾶς πάντα ὡς ἑνὶ σώματι ἐπισυμβαίνει καὶ οὐ δεῖ τὸ μέρος τοῖς ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὅλου γινομένοις μέμφεσθαι· ἢ ἄτομοι καὶ οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἢ κυκεὼν καὶ σκεδασμός·
Either everything happens from a single intellectual source as if for a single body, and the part should not find fault with what happens for the sake of the whole; or there are only atoms and nothing but a mixture and dispersion.
τί οὖν ταράσσῃ; τῷ ἡγεμονικῷ λέγεις·
Why then are you disturbed?
τέθνηκας, ἔφθαρσαι, τεθηρίωσαι, ὑποκρίνῃ, συναγελάζῃ, βόσκῃ;
You say to your ruling centre: "You are dead, you are corrupted, you have become a wild beast, you act a part, you herd with the rest, you feed like cattle?"

Notes

  1. 9.39.1Ἤτοι ... ἤ — A disjunctive conjunction ("Either... or...") showing the classic Stoic dilemma between cosmic providence ("a single intellectual source") and Epicurean atomism ("atoms and dispersion"). Each introduces an independent clause.
  2. 9.39.1τοῖς ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὅλου γινομένοις — The dative complement governed by the verb μέμφεσθαι ("to find fault with"). It is a neuter plural present middle participle used substantively, meaning "things that happen for the sake of the whole."
  3. 9.39.1τῷ ἡγεμονικῷ λέγεις — τῷ ἡγεμονικῷ is a dative of indirect object (address). This represents a direct address to one's own "ruling centre" (hegemonikon) in a tense self-dialogue. The subsequent list of verbs (τέθνηκας, etc.) consists of second-person accusations directed at this ruling centre.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §9.39.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.39.1

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