Was Marcus Aurelius a TRUE Stoic? Panel with Angie Hobbs, Massimo Pigliucci and Donald Robertson

Marcus Aurelius is generally regarded as one of the "Five Good Emperors" and is often praised for his Stoic philosophy, particularly as expressed in his "Meditations." However, like any historical figure, he is not without criticisms both in his own time and in ours...
But are these insignificant issues? Or do they undermine his position as a philosopher and disciple of Stoicism?
His reign was marked by military conflicts, political intrigues, and compromises that may not align perfectly with Stoic ideals. Was he truly a Stoic?
About the Panelists:
Angie Hobbs gained a degree in Classics and a PhD in Ancient Philosophy at the University of Cambridge and in 2012 she was appointed Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield. She is author of many books, including’ Plato and the Hero’ (C.U.P) and ‘Plato’s Republic: a Ladybird Expert Book’. She contributes regularly to radio and TV programmes and other media, including 26 appearances on In Our Time on Radio 4. She has spoken at the World Economic Forum at Davos, the Houses of Parliament, the Scottish Parliament and Westminster Abbey and been the guest on Desert Island Discs, Private Passions and Test Match Special and has most recently been filmed with Mary Beard discussing Marcus Aurelius. You can follow Angie at @drangiehobbs and learn more about her at angiehobbs.com.
Massimo Pigliucci is an author, blogger, podcaster, as well as the K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York. His academic work is in evolutionary biology, philosophy of science, the nature of pseudoscience, and practical philosophy. Massimo publishes regular columns in Skeptical Inquirer and in Philosophy Now. His books include ‘How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life’ (Basic Books) and ‘Nonsense on Stilts: How to Tell Science from Bunk’ (University of Chicago Press). Massimo’s latest book is ‘The Quest for Character: What the Story of Socrates and Alcibiades Teaches Us about Our Search for Good Leaders’ (Basic Books). More by Massimo at newstoicism.org.
Donald Robertson is an author and psychotherapist, specializing in the relationship between modern cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and ancient Greek philosophy. He is one of the founding members of the Modern Stoicism organization and the author of three books on Marcus Aurelius. ‘How to Think Like a Roman Emperor’, a self-help book; 'Verissimus: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius', a graphic novel; and, most recently, a biography titled 'Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor' due to be released by Yale University Press as part of their Ancient Lives series on February 6th. He has also edited the Capstone Classics edition of the ‘Meditations’ and contributed a chapter on Marcus Aurelius and psychotherapy to the forthcoming 'Cambridge Companion to Marcus Aurelius' Meditations.' Donald is also the president and founder of the Plato's Academy Centre nonprofit, based in Greece.
Moderated by Anya Leonard, the founder and Director of Classical Wisdom, a site dedicated to bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds. Author of the children’s book, "Sappho: The Lost Poetess", dedicated to the life, works and remarkable recent discovery of a poem written by the 7th century Poetess, Sappho, Anya has also recently launched Classical Wisdom Kids, a program bringing ancient wisdom to future minds. You can see Classical Wisdom's Books here: classicalwisdombooks.com/

[@andrewrussell6806]

Excellent panel and fun discussion. I wasn’t familiar with Angie Hobbs, probably because I’m in the US, but Pigliucci and Robertson are always great.

[@drcatherinecmccall4421]

The fact that Marcus was fighting DEFENSIVE wars is crucially important to this question.

[@ClassicalWisdom]

That is an excellent point. I wonder though if he was perceived as a weaker emperor, and so more wars were started?

[@leesandblom3299]

Sadly, world leaders who need to grapple with wars or the potential of wars, have generals and lawyers as counselors. Why not more philosophers as their counsel?

[@brianmathew9942]

Fascinating discussion, putting an historical figure right up there with today's struggles, and showing that questions raised today about war were being raised then... interesting and scarily relevant to us today

[@drcatherinecmccall4421]

😅 At 45 mins
The Meditations were Marcus' private diary/dialogue with him self. But people still virtue signal to themselves, even if they try not to. That's not "performative", but the effort to "Gee oneself up" can easily slide into 'bigging oneself up' in moral terms. It's just a natural human tendency, the purpose of which is to prevent despair over one's failings so that one doesn't give up or fall into Depression. Because a depressed person isn't much use to themselves or others - IMO.