City Symbol Analysis

In Meditations, the word “city” can literally refer to Rome or another city, but it can also symbolize the world as a whole. This is connected to the Stoic philosophical view that parts combine harmoniously to make up greater wholes—just as citizens make up a city, and multiple cities ultimately make up the world, with the well-being of individuals inseparable from the well-being of the larger community and world. While identifying himself as a Roman, Marcus Aurelius also mentions the importance of remembering that he is “a citizen of [a] higher city” (i.e., a citizen of the world), thus figuring individual cities as the households that make up one town. In another place, he reminds himself that his “city” is the world. He also writes that when a person is making decisions, they should always consider what’s best both for oneself and for their city, since a person can’t live a good life without being connected to a thriving city—or a global community.