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Why Is Marcus Aurelius Still So Powerful Today? | Aaron Poochigian on Stoicism & Meditations
Nearly 2,000 years after his death, Marcus Aurelius still speaks directly to millions of readers. But why?
In this episode of Classical Wisdom Speaks, Anya Leonard sits down with poet, classics scholar and translator Aaron Poochigian to explore his new translation of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations—and discover the complicated, vulnerable and surprisingly relatable man behind one of history's most influential works of philosophy.
Poochigian wanted to restore the Meditations to “living color,” moving away from translations that can make Marcus sound distant or overly formal. After all, Marcus wasn't writing a philosophical textbook. He was writing to himself, working through the mental discipline of Stoicism in private.
And when we listen closely, Poochigian argues, we can hear different versions of Marcus speaking: the demanding instructor laying down the Stoic ideal, the vulnerable aspirant struggling to achieve it, and the objector pushing back. The result is not a portrait of a perfect philosopher, but of a human being continually trying to become better.
The conversation goes deep into what Marcus actually believed: our obligations toward other people, the divine logos, fate and providence, accepting what life sends us, and the radical Stoic claim that our happiness ultimately depends upon our own judgments.
It also explores why these ancient practices feel so modern. From cognitive behavioral therapy to self-help and our constant search for ways to live better, many of the problems Marcus wrestled with remain remarkably familiar. Poochigian even suggests that we might understand the Meditations less as a philosophical treatise and more like a daily practice—almost a form of philosophical yoga.
🔑 KEY TOPICS COVERED
Why Marcus Aurelius still resonates today
Bringing the Meditations back to “living color”
The three voices inside Marcus Aurelius
The instructor, aspirant and objector
Marcus Aurelius' anger, flaws and contradictions
Was Meditations ever intended for publication?
Death and the importance of the present moment
What Stoicism says about our duty to others
Why Marcus believed humanity forms one community
What the Stoic logos actually means
Marcus Aurelius' religious worldview
Fate, providence and determinism
Accepting—and even being grateful for—what happens
Can we really control our own happiness?
Stoicism and cognitive behavioral therapy
Why philosophy should be practised, not merely studied
How to make Meditations part of everyday life
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Meet Aaron Poochigian
00:59 Bringing Meditations to life
03:07 The three voices of Marcus
06:14 A dialogue with himself?
08:06 Was it meant to be published?
12:11 Marcus' private thoughts
13:39 Death & the present moment
17:37 Our duty to humanity
22:12 What is the Stoic logos?
25:40 The religious Marcus Aurelius
28:22 Fate & determinism
30:05 Accepting what life gives us
31:01 Can we control happiness?
32:34 Philosophy as practice
34:58 Stoicism & CBT
36:30 How to read Meditations
38:47 A philosophical practice
40:28 Final thoughts
Marcus Aurelius is often presented today as the ultimate Stoic: calm, disciplined and almost unshakeable.
But does seeing the struggling, contradictory and imperfect Marcus make his philosophy more valuable?
Tell us what you think in the comments.
And if you believe ancient philosophy still has something to teach us about living well today, subscribe to Classical Wisdom for more conversations with leading classicists, philosophers, historians and authors.
LINKS
👉 Aaron Poochigian's translation of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations: https://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Marcus-Aurelius/dp/132409639X
👉 Subscribe to Classical Wisdom: https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/subscribe?coupon=b28f7da1
GUEST
Aaron Poochigian is a poet, classics scholar and translator based in New York City. His work includes Four Walks in Central Park: A Poetic Guide to the Park, Stung with Love, and his new translation of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations.
His approach reveals Meditations not simply as a collection of inspirational Stoic quotations, but as the record of someone repeatedly practising philosophy: correcting himself, challenging his reactions and trying to live according to the demanding ideals he believed in.
#MarcusAurelius #Stoicism #Meditations #StoicPhilosophy #AncientPhil
