17: Episode 17

<div>The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius offer a remarkable series of spiritual reflections and exercises developed as the emperor struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe. While the Meditations were composed to provide personal consolation and encouragement, Marcus Aurelius also created one of the greatest of all works of philosophy: a timeless collection that has been consulted and admired by statesmen, thinkers and readers throughout the centuries.  Whilst many of his reflections and ways to live life were based on the teachings of earlier philosophers from the Socratics to the early Stoics, Marcus Aurelius strove to live his life by the principles of his philosophy and in his Meditations articulated those views in a way that remains one of the greatest books of wisdom to have graced the Earth. Presented by Adam Bates</div>