Reason#
Summary#
Reason is the distinctively human faculty that allows one to discriminate carefully between things, anticipate others’ behavior, and determine what ought to be done. Following reason brings both tranquility and purposeful action, cheerfulness and composure. Marcus Aurelius presents reason as the highest pursuit remaining when all bodily desires and fears are set aside, something to be honored alongside the divine and exercised through careful examination of all that happens in life.