His philosophy, which is in many respects identical with that of his pupil, Epictetus, is marked by its strong practical tendency. I 1, showing a section of Discourse 15 of Gaius Musonius Rufus. Must One Obey One's Parents under all Circumstances?.Should Every Child that is Born be Raised?.Is Marriage a Handicap for the Pursuit of Philosophy?.What means of Livelihood is Appropriate for a Philosopher?.Will the Philosopher Prosecute Anyone for Personal Injury?.That Kings Also Should Study Philosophy.Which is more Effective, Theory or Practice?.Should Daughters Receive the Same Education as Sons?.That Man is Born with an Inclination Toward Virtue.That There is No Need of Giving Many Proofs for One Problem.The titles of the 21 discourses (Cora Lutz ion) are as follows: A second collection was compiled by one Pollio it has been lost, but some fragments survive in quotations by later writers. One collection of Discourses, by a certain Lucius, form the basis of the 21 lengthy extracts preserved by Stobaeus. His philosophical opinions were collected by two of his students. It is unknown whether Musonius wrote anything for publication. The letters that survive are certainly not authentic. The Suda states that there are "speeches about philosophy bearing his name," and mentions letters to Apollonius of Tyana. Writings Ĭhapter 1, page 1, of the works of Gaius Musonius Rufus, in Greek, ed by Otto Hense in the Teubner series, 1905. As to his death, we know only that he was dead by 101 AD, when Pliny speaks of his son-in-law Artemidorus. So highly was Musonius esteemed in Rome that Vespasian allowed him to remain in Rome when the other philosophers were banished from the city (71 AD), but eventually he was exiled anyway (perhaps around 75 AD), only returning after Vespasian's death (79 AD). It was perhaps about this time that Musonius taught Epictetus, his most famous student. When the party of Vitellius gained the upper hand, Musonius was able to accuse, and obtain the conviction of, Publius Egnatius Celer, the Stoic philosopher who had condemned Barea Soranus. When Marcus Antonius Primus, the general of Vespasian, was marching upon Rome (69 AD), he joined the ambassadors that were sent by Vitellius to the victorious general, and going among the soldiers of the latter, preached about the blessings of peace and the dangers of war, but was soon made to stop. He specifically refers to his time in exile in his ninth discourse, pointing out its advantages for a practitioner of Stoicism. While Gyaros was "harsh and devoid of human culture", Musonius was able to survive and form a small community of philosophers. He returned to Rome after Plautus' death (62 AD), but as a consequence of his practising and teaching Stoicism, he became an object of suspicion and dislike at Nero's court, and was accordingly banished to the island of Gyaros (65 AD) on a trumped-up charge of participation in the Pisonian conspiracy. He followed Rubellius Plautus into exile when Plautus was banished by Nero (60 AD). He was associated with the Stoic Opposition against the perceived tyranny of Nero. By the time of Nero, he was already famous in Rome, where he taught Stoic philosophy. Lutz (Yale University Press, 1947).The son of a Roman eques of the name of Capito, Musonius Rufus was born in Volsinii, Etruria about 20–30 AD. Where, then, this love for each other is perfect and the two share it completely, each striving to outdo the other in devotion, the marriage is ideal and worthy of envy, for such a union is beautiful.įrom Lecture xiiia, in Musonius Rufus, vol. The birth of a human being which results from such a union is to be sure something marvelous, but it is not yet enough for the relation of husband and wife, inasmuch as quite apart from marriage it could result from other sexual unions, just as in the case of animals.īut in marriage there must be above all perfect companionship and mutual love of husband and wife, both in health and in sickness and under all conditions, since it was with desire for this as well as for having children that both entered upon marriage. Husband and wife should come together for the purpose of making a life in common and of bearing children, and furthermore of regarding all things in common between them, and nothing peculiar or private to one or the other, not even their own bodies. His lecture “On the Chief End of Marriage” is a remarkable statement by a thinker who stands outside the Judeo-Christian tradition. ad 100) lived in Rome as a contemporary of Nero, who banished him from the city because of his teaching. The Stoic philosopher Gaius Musonius Rufus (ca.
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