Marcus Aurelius - The Philosopher King

Marcus was fully aware that power produced malice, cunning and hypocrisy and therefore steered a course for himself that was simple and unpretentious, writes Ramesh Chandra Misra

- Ramesh Chandra Misra

ROMAN emperor Marcus Aurelius who ruled in the early Christian era came closest to Plato’s ideal of Philosopher-King. Born on April 26th, 121 CE he lost his father when he was only three years old and grew up under the supervision of his doting grandfathers. He showed great promise and attracted the attention of emperor Hadrian. Marcus was from a noble family and by the age of ten his inclination for philosophy was remarkable. Emperor Hadiran found in him budding qualities of courage, calmness and compassion. He had no son and adopted Antonius Pius on the condition that he would adopt Marcus Aurelius. A number of tutors were selected for Marcus and he went through successive offices for probation for being ready to wear the purple. Through all this his modesty and humility never left him. In 161 CE at the age of forty he was made the emperor. This was a source of joy for the Stoics who had hoped that one day a leader cut from their own cloth would redeem the empire from decay. That Marcus was not crazy about power was evident from the fact that he appointed Lucius Verus as co-Regent. Contrast him with Nero who had eliminated so many of his rivals that Seneca had to remind him that no king had in his power to get rid of every possible successor. Marcus was fully aware that power produced malice, cunning and hypocrisy and therefore steered a course for himself that was simple and unpretentious. The objective of his rule was achieving the common good to which he was passionately committed. He famously wrote, "whenever you have trouble getting up in the morning, remind yourself that you have been made by nature for the purpose of working with others".