What Meditations is about
Private reflections on character, attention, duty and how to live well when the world is difficult. Marcus Aurelius wrote it around 170 to 180 CE. It sits in the philosophy shelf of the library.
The edition you read
The original text is the Meric Casaubon translation, 1634, a public domain edition. The text is complete and keeps its own chapter structure, so every reading points back to the same place in the book.
Where to start
The book opens with these readings, in order. The first one is free in the app.
- Teachers, family, and duty
- Father, gifts, and providence
- The second book
- Mortality sharpens inward discipline
How the readings are split
The 30 readings follow the book's own divisions, grouped into 11 parts. Each reading is a sitting of a few minutes, and the reader remembers the paragraph where you stopped.
Reading it in plain English
Every reading has a plain English draft written paragraph by paragraph, and a short guide with context, an explanation, takeaways and a question to think about. The drafts are labeled Unreviewed plain English draft. Drafts, guides and the readings after the first one need Athenaeum Membership.
Questions about Meditations
Is Meditations free to read?
The Meric Casaubon translation, 1634 is in the public domain. In Athenaeum the first of its 30 readings is free, and Athenaeum Membership opens the rest.
How long is Meditations?
Athenaeum splits it into 30 readings. Short books take a week of evenings, and long ones work best a reading or two at a time.
Read Meditations in Athenaeum
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