ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at broadly political themes in the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. It begins by placing these against the background of the Stoic theory of oikeiosis, as expressed by the Roman Stoic Hierocles, and early Stoic cosmopolitanism. These set the scene for an examination of Marcus’s comments presenting Nature as a cosmic city. Connected to this are his claims that individuals ought to put the concerns of this city ahead of narrowly conceived individualistic needs. This leads to reflection about different part–whole relationships and the claim that individuals ought to see themselves as organic parts or limbs of an integrated whole.
