ABSTRACT
This chapter examines central concepts in physics as they appear in Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations. It begins by considering the place of reflections on physics and nature in Marcus’s thought, along with central themes such as the unity of nature and the presence of two basic causal and material principles. These themes are then discussed in the light of early Stoic physics. It then moves on to consider Marcus’s reflections on perpetual change, relating this to Heraclitus’s doctrine of flux. The question of Heraclitus’s influence on Marcus is discussed. Finally, it asks why Marcus might have thought it useful to reflect on change in nature, and how such reflections fit within his wider philosophical project.
