Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Book ninety. He acts unjustly actsimpiously. For since the universal nature has
made rational animals for the sake ofone another, to help one another according
to their deserts, but in noway to injure one another, he who
transgresses her will is clearly guilty ofimpiety towards the highest divinity. And he
too, who lies, is guiltyof impiety too the same divinity. For
(00:21):
the universal nature is the nature ofthings that are, and things that are
have a relation to all things thatcome into existence. And further, this
universal nature is named truth, thanis the prime cause of all things that
are true. He, then,who lies intentionally, is guilty of impiety
inasmuch as he acts unjustly by deceiving. And he also who lies unintentionally inasmuch
(00:46):
as he is at variance with theuniversal nature, and inasmuch as he disturbs
the order by fighting against the natureof the world. For he fights against
it who is moved of himself tothat which is contrary to truth. For
he had received powers from nature throughthe neglect of which he is not able
now to distinguish falsehood from truth.And indeed, he who pursues pleasure as
(01:08):
good and avoids pain, as evilis guilty of impiety, for of necessity.
Such a man must often find faultwith the universal nature, alleging that
it assigns things to the bad andthe good contrary to their deserts, because
frequently the bad are in the enjoymentof pleasure and possess the things which procure
pleasure, but the good have painfor their share, and the things which
(01:30):
cause pain. And further, hewho is afraid of pain will sometimes also
maybebe not be afraid of some ofthe things which will happen in the world.
And even this is impiety. Andhe who pursues pleasure will not abstain
from injustice. And this is plainlyimpiety. Now with respect to the things
towards which the universal nature is equallyaffected, for it would not have made
(01:53):
both unless it was equally affected towardsboth. Towards these, they who wish
to follow nature should be of thesame mind with it, and equally affected
with respect to pain then and pleasureor death in life, or honor and
dishonor which the universal Nature employs equally. Whoever is not equally affected is manifestly
(02:13):
acting impiously. And I say thatthe universal nature employs them equally, instead
of saying that they happen alike tothose who are produced in continuous series and
to those who come after them,by virtue of a certain original movement of
providence, according to which it movedfrom a certain beginning to this ordering of
things, having conceived certain principles ofthe things which were to be, and
(02:37):
having determined powers productive of beings andof changes, and of such like successions.
And it would be a man's happiestlot to depart from mankind without having
had any taste of lying and hypocrisy, and luxury and pride. However,
to breathe out one's life when aman has had enough of these things is
the next best voyage, As thesaying is hast thou determined to abide with
(03:02):
vice, and has not experience yetinduced thee to fly from this pestilence,
For the destruction of the understanding isa pestilence much more indeed than any such
corruption and change of this atmosphere whichsurrounds us. For this corruption is a
pestilence of animals so far as theyare animals. But the other is a
(03:23):
pestilence of men, so far asthey are men, do not despise death,
but be well content with it,since this too is one of those
things which nature wills for, suchas it is to be young and to
grow old, and to increase,and to reach maturity, to have teeth
and beard and gray hairs, andto beget, and to be pregnant,
and to bring forth, and allthe other natural operations which the seasons of
(03:46):
thy life bring. Such also isdissolution. This, then, is consistent
with the character of a reflecting man, to be neither careless, nor impatient,
nor contemptuous with respect to death,but to wait for it as one
of the operations of nature. Asthou now waitest for at the time when
the child shall come out of thywife's womb, so be ready for the
(04:06):
time when thy soul shall fall outof this envelope. But if thou requirest
also a vulgar kind of comfort whichshall reach thy heart, thou wilt be
made best reconciled to death by observingthe objects from which thou art going to
be removed, and the morals ofthose with whom thy soul will no longer
be mingled. For it is noway right to be offended with men but
(04:29):
it is thy duty to care forthem and to bear with them gently,
and yet to remember that thy departurewill be not from men who have the
same principles as thyself. For natthis is the only thing if there be
any which could draw us the contraryway and attach us to life, to
be permitted to live with those whohave the same principles as ourselves. But
now thou seest how great is thetrouble arising from the discordance of those who
(04:54):
live together, So that thou maystsay, come quick, o death,
lest perchance I too should forget myself. He who does wrong does wrong against
himself. He who acts unjustly actsunjustly to himself, because he makes himself
bad. He often acts unjustly whodoes not do a certain thing, not
only he who does a certain thing. Thy present opinion founded on understanding,
(05:15):
and thy present conduct directed to socialgood, and thy present disposition of contentment
with everything which happens. That isenough wipe out imagination, check desire,
extinguish appetite, keep the ruling facultyin its own power. Among the animals
which have not reason, one lifeis distributed. But among reasonable animals,
(05:36):
one intelligent soul is distributed, justas there is one earth of all things
which are of an earthy nature,and we see by one light and breathe
one air. All of us thathave the faculty of vision, and all
that have life, all things whichparticipate in anything which is common to them,
all move towards that which is ofthe same kind with themselves. Everything
(05:58):
which is earth, he turns towardsthe earth. Everything which is liquid flows
together, and everything which is ofan aerial kind does the That's the same,
so that they require something to keepthem asunder, and the application of
force. Fire indeed moves upwards onaccount of the elemental fire. But it
is so ready to be kindled togetherwith all the fire which is here,
that even every substance which is somewhatdry is easily ignited, because there is
(06:23):
less mingled with it of that whichis a hindrance to ignition. Accordingly,
then everything also which participates in thecommon intelligent nature, moves in like manner
towards that which is of the samekind with itself, or moves even more,
for so much as it is superiorin comparison with all other things in
(06:44):
the same degree. Also is itmore ready to mingle with and to be
fused with that which is akin toit. Accordingly, among animals devoid of
reason, we find swarms of bees, and herds of cattle, and the
nurture of young birds, and ina manner loves. For even in animals
there are souls, and that powerwhich brings them together is seen to exert
(07:06):
itself in the superior degree, andin such a way as never has been
observed in plants, nor in stones, nor in trees. But in rational
animals there are political communities, andfriendships, and families, and meetings of
people, and in wars, treatiesand armistices. But in the things which
are still superior, even though theyare separated from one another, unity in
(07:29):
a manner exists, as in thestars. Thus the ascent to the higher
degree is able to produce a sympathyeven in things which are separated. See
then what now takes place. Foronly intelligent animals have now forgotten this mutual
desire and inclination, and in themalone the property of flowing together is not
seen. But still, though menstrive to avoid this union, they are
(07:53):
caught and held by it, fortheir nature is too strong for them.
And thou wilt see what I say, thou only observest. Sooner than will
one find anything earthy which comes incontact with no earthy thing than a man
altogether separated from other men. Bothman and God and the universe produce fruit
at the proper seasons each produces it. But if usage has especially fixed these
(08:16):
terms to the vine, and likethings, this is nothing. Reason produces
fruit both for all and for itself, and there are produced from it other
things of the same kind as reasonitself. Yet if thou art able correct
by teaching those who do wrong,but if thou canst not, remember that
indulgence is given to THEE for thispurpose, and the gods too are indulgent
(08:37):
to such persons, and for somepurposes they even help them to get health,
wealth, reputation. So kind theyare, and it is in thy
power also, Or say, whohinders thee? Yet it labor not as
one who is wretched, nor yetas one who would be pitied or admired.
But direct thy will to one thing, only to put thyself in motion
and to check thyself, as thesocial reason requires. Today, I have
(09:00):
got out of all trouble, orrather I have cast out all trouble for
it was not outside but within,and in my opinions, all things are
the same, familiar in experience,and ephemeral in time, and worthless in
the matter. Everything now is justas it was in the time of those
whom we have buried. Things standoutside of us themselves by themselves, neither
(09:22):
knowing aught of themselves, nor expressingany judgment. What is it, then,
which does judge about them? Theruling faculty, not in passivity,
but in activity, lie the evilin the good of the rational social animal,
just as his virtue and his vicelie not in passivity but in activity.
For the stone which has been thrownup, it is no evil to
(09:43):
come down, nor indeed any goodto have been carried up. Penetrate inwards
into men's leading principles. And thouwilt see what judges thou art afraid of,
and what kind of judges they areof themselves. All things are changing,
and thou thyself art in continuous mutation, and in a manner in continuous
destruction, and the whole universe too. It is thy duty to leave another
(10:07):
man's wrongful act there where it istermination of activity, cessation from movement and
opinion, and in a sense theirdeath is no evil. Turn thy thoughts
now to the consideration of thy life, thy life as a child, as
a youth, thy manhood, thyold age. For in these also every
change was a death. Is thisanything to fear? Turn thy thoughts now
(10:30):
to thy life under thy grandfather,then to thy life under thy mother,
then to thy life under thy father, And as thou findest many other differences
and changes in terminations, ask thyself, is this anything to fear? In
like manner? Then neither are thetermination and cessation and change of thy whole
life a thing to be afraid of. Hasten to examine thy own ruling faculty,
(10:50):
and that of the universe, andthat of thy neighbor. Thy own,
that thou mayest make it just,and that of the universe, that
thou mayest remember of what thou arta part, and that of thy neighbor,
that thou mayst know whether he hasacted ignorantly or with knowledge, And
that thou mayest also consider that hisruling faculty is akin to thine. As
(11:13):
thou thyself art a component part ofa social system. So let every act
of thine be a component part ofsocial life. Whatever act of thine then
has no reference, either immediately orremotely, to a social end. This
tears asunder thy life and does notallow it to be one. And it
is of the nature of a mutiny. Just as when in a popular assembly
a man acting by himself stands apartfrom the general agreement, quarrels of little
(11:39):
children in their sports, and poorspirits carrying about dead bodies. Such is
everything, and so what is exhibitedin the representation of the mansions of the
dead strikes our eyes more clearly.Examine into the quality of the form of
an object, and detach it alltogether from its material part, and then
contemplate it. Then determine the timethe longest which a thing of this peculiar
(12:01):
form is naturally made to endure it. Thou hast endured infinite troubles through not
being contented with thy ruling faculty whenit does the things which it is constituted
by nature to do. But enoughof this. When another blames THEE or
hates THEE, or when men sayabout THEE anything injurious, approach their poor
souls, penetrate within, and seewhat kind of men they are, Thou
(12:24):
wilt discover that there is no reasonto take any trouble that these men may
have this or that opinion about theeHowever, thou must be well disposed towards
them, for by nature they arefriends, and the gods to aid them
in all ways, by dreams,by signs, towards the attainment of those
(12:45):
things on which they set a value. The periodic movements of the universe are
the same, up and down fromage to age. And either the universal
intelligence puts itself in motion for everyseparate effect, and if this is so,
be thou content with that which isthe result of its activity, or
it puts itself in motion once,and everything else comes by way of sequence
(13:05):
in a manner. Or indivisible elementsare the origin of all things. In
a word, if there is aGod, all is well, and if
chance rules do not, thou alsobe governed by it. Soon will the
earth cover us all? Then theearth too will change, and the things
also which result from change will continueto change forever, and these again forever.
(13:28):
For if a man reflects on thechanges and transformations which follow one another,
like wave after wave, and theirrapidity, he will despise everything which
is perishable.
Book ninety. He acts unjustly actsimpiously. For since the universal nature has
made rational animals for the sake ofone another, to help one another according
to their deserts, but in noway to injure one another, he who
transgresses her will is clearly guilty ofimpiety towards the highest divinity. And he
too, who lies, is guiltyof impiety too the same divinity. For
(00:21):
the universal nature is the nature ofthings that are, and things that are
have a relation to all things thatcome into existence. And further, this
universal nature is named truth, thanis the prime cause of all things that
are true. He, then,who lies intentionally, is guilty of impiety
inasmuch as he acts unjustly by deceiving. And he also who lies unintentionally inasmuch
(00:46):
as he is at variance with theuniversal nature, and inasmuch as he disturbs
the order by fighting against the natureof the world. For he fights against
it who is moved of himself tothat which is contrary to truth. For
he had received powers from nature throughthe neglect of which he is not able
now to distinguish falsehood from truth.And indeed, he who pursues pleasure as
(01:08):
good and avoids pain, as evilis guilty of impiety, for of necessity.
Such a man must often find faultwith the universal nature, alleging that
it assigns things to the bad andthe good contrary to their deserts, because
frequently the bad are in the enjoymentof pleasure and possess the things which procure
pleasure, but the good have painfor their share, and the things which
(01:30):
cause pain. And further, hewho is afraid of pain will sometimes also
maybebe not be afraid of some ofthe things which will happen in the world.
And even this is impiety. Andhe who pursues pleasure will not abstain
from injustice. And this is plainlyimpiety. Now with respect to the things
towards which the universal nature is equallyaffected, for it would not have made
(01:53):
both unless it was equally affected towardsboth. Towards these, they who wish
to follow nature should be of thesame mind with it, and equally affected
with respect to pain then and pleasureor death in life, or honor and
dishonor which the universal Nature employs equally. Whoever is not equally affected is manifestly
(02:13):
acting impiously. And I say thatthe universal nature employs them equally, instead
of saying that they happen alike tothose who are produced in continuous series and
to those who come after them,by virtue of a certain original movement of
providence, according to which it movedfrom a certain beginning to this ordering of
things, having conceived certain principles ofthe things which were to be, and
(02:37):
having determined powers productive of beings andof changes, and of such like successions.
And it would be a man's happiestlot to depart from mankind without having
had any taste of lying and hypocrisy, and luxury and pride. However,
to breathe out one's life when aman has had enough of these things is
the next best voyage, As thesaying is hast thou determined to abide with
(03:02):
vice, and has not experience yetinduced thee to fly from this pestilence,
For the destruction of the understanding isa pestilence much more indeed than any such
corruption and change of this atmosphere whichsurrounds us. For this corruption is a
pestilence of animals so far as theyare animals. But the other is a
(03:23):
pestilence of men, so far asthey are men, do not despise death,
but be well content with it,since this too is one of those
things which nature wills for, suchas it is to be young and to
grow old, and to increase,and to reach maturity, to have teeth
and beard and gray hairs, andto beget, and to be pregnant,
and to bring forth, and allthe other natural operations which the seasons of
(03:46):
thy life bring. Such also isdissolution. This, then, is consistent
with the character of a reflecting man, to be neither careless, nor impatient,
nor contemptuous with respect to death,but to wait for it as one
of the operations of nature. Asthou now waitest for at the time when
the child shall come out of thywife's womb, so be ready for the
(04:06):
time when thy soul shall fall outof this envelope. But if thou requirest
also a vulgar kind of comfort whichshall reach thy heart, thou wilt be
made best reconciled to death by observingthe objects from which thou art going to
be removed, and the morals ofthose with whom thy soul will no longer
be mingled. For it is noway right to be offended with men but
(04:29):
it is thy duty to care forthem and to bear with them gently,
and yet to remember that thy departurewill be not from men who have the
same principles as thyself. For natthis is the only thing if there be
any which could draw us the contraryway and attach us to life, to
be permitted to live with those whohave the same principles as ourselves. But
now thou seest how great is thetrouble arising from the discordance of those who
(04:54):
live together, So that thou maystsay, come quick, o death,
lest perchance I too should forget myself. He who does wrong does wrong against
himself. He who acts unjustly actsunjustly to himself, because he makes himself
bad. He often acts unjustly whodoes not do a certain thing, not
only he who does a certain thing. Thy present opinion founded on understanding,
(05:15):
and thy present conduct directed to socialgood, and thy present disposition of contentment
with everything which happens. That isenough wipe out imagination, check desire,
extinguish appetite, keep the ruling facultyin its own power. Among the animals
which have not reason, one lifeis distributed. But among reasonable animals,
(05:36):
one intelligent soul is distributed, justas there is one earth of all things
which are of an earthy nature,and we see by one light and breathe
one air. All of us thathave the faculty of vision, and all
that have life, all things whichparticipate in anything which is common to them,
all move towards that which is ofthe same kind with themselves. Everything
(05:58):
which is earth, he turns towardsthe earth. Everything which is liquid flows
together, and everything which is ofan aerial kind does the That's the same,
so that they require something to keepthem asunder, and the application of
force. Fire indeed moves upwards onaccount of the elemental fire. But it
is so ready to be kindled togetherwith all the fire which is here,
that even every substance which is somewhatdry is easily ignited, because there is
(06:23):
less mingled with it of that whichis a hindrance to ignition. Accordingly,
then everything also which participates in thecommon intelligent nature, moves in like manner
towards that which is of the samekind with itself, or moves even more,
for so much as it is superiorin comparison with all other things in
(06:44):
the same degree. Also is itmore ready to mingle with and to be
fused with that which is akin toit. Accordingly, among animals devoid of
reason, we find swarms of bees, and herds of cattle, and the
nurture of young birds, and ina manner loves. For even in animals
there are souls, and that powerwhich brings them together is seen to exert
(07:06):
itself in the superior degree, andin such a way as never has been
observed in plants, nor in stones, nor in trees. But in rational
animals there are political communities, andfriendships, and families, and meetings of
people, and in wars, treatiesand armistices. But in the things which
are still superior, even though theyare separated from one another, unity in
(07:29):
a manner exists, as in thestars. Thus the ascent to the higher
degree is able to produce a sympathyeven in things which are separated. See
then what now takes place. Foronly intelligent animals have now forgotten this mutual
desire and inclination, and in themalone the property of flowing together is not
seen. But still, though menstrive to avoid this union, they are
(07:53):
caught and held by it, fortheir nature is too strong for them.
And thou wilt see what I say, thou only observest. Sooner than will
one find anything earthy which comes incontact with no earthy thing than a man
altogether separated from other men. Bothman and God and the universe produce fruit
at the proper seasons each produces it. But if usage has especially fixed these
(08:16):
terms to the vine, and likethings, this is nothing. Reason produces
fruit both for all and for itself, and there are produced from it other
things of the same kind as reasonitself. Yet if thou art able correct
by teaching those who do wrong,but if thou canst not, remember that
indulgence is given to THEE for thispurpose, and the gods too are indulgent
(08:37):
to such persons, and for somepurposes they even help them to get health,
wealth, reputation. So kind theyare, and it is in thy
power also, Or say, whohinders thee? Yet it labor not as
one who is wretched, nor yetas one who would be pitied or admired.
But direct thy will to one thing, only to put thyself in motion
and to check thyself, as thesocial reason requires. Today, I have
(09:00):
got out of all trouble, orrather I have cast out all trouble for
it was not outside but within,and in my opinions, all things are
the same, familiar in experience,and ephemeral in time, and worthless in
the matter. Everything now is justas it was in the time of those
whom we have buried. Things standoutside of us themselves by themselves, neither
(09:22):
knowing aught of themselves, nor expressingany judgment. What is it, then,
which does judge about them? Theruling faculty, not in passivity,
but in activity, lie the evilin the good of the rational social animal,
just as his virtue and his vicelie not in passivity but in activity.
For the stone which has been thrownup, it is no evil to
(09:43):
come down, nor indeed any goodto have been carried up. Penetrate inwards
into men's leading principles. And thouwilt see what judges thou art afraid of,
and what kind of judges they areof themselves. All things are changing,
and thou thyself art in continuous mutation, and in a manner in continuous
destruction, and the whole universe too. It is thy duty to leave another
(10:07):
man's wrongful act there where it istermination of activity, cessation from movement and
opinion, and in a sense theirdeath is no evil. Turn thy thoughts
now to the consideration of thy life, thy life as a child, as
a youth, thy manhood, thyold age. For in these also every
change was a death. Is thisanything to fear? Turn thy thoughts now
(10:30):
to thy life under thy grandfather,then to thy life under thy mother,
then to thy life under thy father, And as thou findest many other differences
and changes in terminations, ask thyself, is this anything to fear? In
like manner? Then neither are thetermination and cessation and change of thy whole
life a thing to be afraid of. Hasten to examine thy own ruling faculty,
(10:50):
and that of the universe, andthat of thy neighbor. Thy own,
that thou mayest make it just,and that of the universe, that
thou mayest remember of what thou arta part, and that of thy neighbor,
that thou mayst know whether he hasacted ignorantly or with knowledge, And
that thou mayest also consider that hisruling faculty is akin to thine. As
(11:13):
thou thyself art a component part ofa social system. So let every act
of thine be a component part ofsocial life. Whatever act of thine then
has no reference, either immediately orremotely, to a social end. This
tears asunder thy life and does notallow it to be one. And it
is of the nature of a mutiny. Just as when in a popular assembly
a man acting by himself stands apartfrom the general agreement, quarrels of little
(11:39):
children in their sports, and poorspirits carrying about dead bodies. Such is
everything, and so what is exhibitedin the representation of the mansions of the
dead strikes our eyes more clearly.Examine into the quality of the form of
an object, and detach it alltogether from its material part, and then
contemplate it. Then determine the timethe longest which a thing of this peculiar
(12:01):
form is naturally made to endure it. Thou hast endured infinite troubles through not
being contented with thy ruling faculty whenit does the things which it is constituted
by nature to do. But enoughof this. When another blames THEE or
hates THEE, or when men sayabout THEE anything injurious, approach their poor
souls, penetrate within, and seewhat kind of men they are, Thou
(12:24):
wilt discover that there is no reasonto take any trouble that these men may
have this or that opinion about theeHowever, thou must be well disposed towards
them, for by nature they arefriends, and the gods to aid them
in all ways, by dreams,by signs, towards the attainment of those
(12:45):
things on which they set a value. The periodic movements of the universe are
the same, up and down fromage to age. And either the universal
intelligence puts itself in motion for everyseparate effect, and if this is so,
be thou content with that which isthe result of its activity, or
it puts itself in motion once,and everything else comes by way of sequence
(13:05):
in a manner. Or indivisible elementsare the origin of all things. In
a word, if there is aGod, all is well, and if
chance rules do not, thou alsobe governed by it. Soon will the
earth cover us all? Then theearth too will change, and the things
also which result from change will continueto change forever, and these again forever.
(13:28):
For if a man reflects on thechanges and transformations which follow one another,
like wave after wave, and theirrapidity, he will despise everything which
is perishable.
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