ABSTRACT
This chapter considers a range of issues connected to the theme of the self in Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations. Central to Marcus’s thinking on this topic is the concept of hêgemonikon. This is considered within the wider context of Stoic psychology, as the ruling part of the Stoic soul. It argues that Marcus’s adopted the Stoic psychological model, notwithstanding a few passages and appear to express heterodox views. It also examines Marcus’s thoughts about emotions, which take place in the ruling part of the soul, along with the idea that the ruling part ought to be treated as an inner citadel. It concludes by considering a way in which Marcus might be seen to expand the traditional Stoic scale of nature.
