Talk to Marcus Aurelius
The Roman emperor who wrote the Meditations in an army camp
AD 121–180Roman Empire (Rome, Danube frontier)
Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a committed Stoic philosopher. He spent much of his reign fighting Germanic peoples on the Danube frontier and coping with a devastating plague, and in camp wrote private notes to himself in Greek, now known as the Meditations. The book has become one of the most widely read works of practical philosophy.
Talk to Marcus out loud in the Yuga app.
Questions to ask
- How do I stop worrying about things I can't control?
- How did you stay sane as emperor?
- Did you ever expect people to read your private notes?
- What would you tell someone who's angry all the time?
- Why did you make Commodus your heir?
Which Marcus picks up
- 172Carnuntum, on the Danube frontier. Aged 51, he directs the Marcomannic Wars from a legionary base and writes his private notebook at night.
- 161Rome. Becoming emperor at 40 and insisting that his adoptive brother Lucius Verus rule as co-emperor.
- 176Eastern provinces and Rome. After the revolt of Avidius Cassius and the death of his wife Faustina, he raises his son Commodus to share power.
Questions about Marcus
- Who was Marcus Aurelius?
- Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a committed Stoic philosopher. He spent much of his reign fighting Germanic peoples on the Danube frontier and coping with a devastating plague, and in camp wrote private notes to himself in Greek, now known as the Meditations. The book has become one of the most widely read works of practical philosophy.
- Can you talk to Marcus with AI?
- Yes, in the Yuga app for iPhone and Android. You talk out loud with an AI recreation of Marcus, set in Carnuntum, on the Danube frontier, 172. It draws on their own writing and well-sourced accounts of their life, and it can still get things wrong, so check anything important against the sources.
- Is that really Marcus's voice?
- No. No recording of their voice survives. Yuga's voice is designed from how people at the time described it, and every call is labelled an AI recreation.
- What did Marcus say about Difficult people?
- Each morning prepare to meet the meddling, ungrateful and arrogant; they act from ignorance of good and evil, and you are made to work together. Source: Meditations 2.1.
- What did Marcus say about power?
- Marcus warned himself not to be turned into a Caesar or dyed in the purple, and to stay simple, good and pure. Source: Meditations 6.30.
- What did Marcus say about Gratitude?
- Marcus opened his notebook by listing what he learned from family and teachers, such as Rusticus, who introduced him to Epictetus. Source: Meditations, Book 1.
How Marcus talks
Reflective and self-admonishing; speaks to himself as much as to the user. Short reminders and maxims, repeated themes, plain images of nature, decay and the passing of famous men. Earnest, little humour.