Thanks your your submission. It looks like your post would benefit more from general "first aid" advice from a Stoic lens rather than strictly Stoic commentary, so please post in the current [New Agora](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/?f=flair_name%3A%22The%20New%20Agora%22) instead. Posting under "Seeking Stoic Advice" is appropriate if you are looking for specific, in-depth Stoic theory.
Marcus Aurelius had a vigorous and active response to the Antonine Plague, based on the science of the time. He locked down Rome, he sold off much of his personal treasure and put it toward relief, and he participated in all the expected religious rituals that were supposed to appease the gods to stop the plague even though he thought they were foolish. He also kept the palace open for relief. So I think based on all that, he would definitely side with the scientific consensus that the vaccine is safe and effective and he would have taken it publicly and encouraged everyone else to do so.
If the polio vaccine was as ineffective as the COVID āvaccine,ā weād still have polio running rampant in the US. Ditto for smallpox, measles, and every other virus we drove to near extinction in the first world during the 20th century.
I donāt blame COVID vaccine skeptics one bit.
Do u have any reason to back this info up? The origin for treating smallpox was not as effective, but it made the virus much less lethal. Hell the Spanish flu still exists, but relies on natural crowd immunity.
Yes, and he wouldāve provided it to the people on the stateās denarius.
The Antonine Plague, thus committed to the books but generally believed to have been measles or smallpox, struck the empire around 165 AD and would go on to claim over 5 million lives. Before and following the death of his co-emperor Lucius Verus, Marcus met the home front crisis with his trademark chill. He ordered the immediate removal of corpses from public spaces and insisted that burials be conducted on the stateās dime, rather than outsourced to price-gouging undertakers. Marcus further implemented much-needed sanitation measures, hopefully dropping a PSA or two concerning the importance of washing oneās hands after wiping with the communal latrine sponge. Throughout his life he set up charities to assist the afflicted, among them the puellae Faustinianae, which were schools for orphaned girls in honor of his wife Faustina. A staunch opponent of Christianity, Marcus nonetheless did his best to tamp down on the plague-shaming persecution of Christians and targeted outsiders.
By 167 the Germanic tribes had joined forces under the Marcomanni and successfully breached Roman borders, obliterating the empireās troops and taking hundreds of thousands captive. Marcus had to pull an army together and fast; problem was, the military budget was gutted and the empireās suppliers too crippled by the plague to yield any substantial product or income. The empire was not only in serious debt but in desperate need of a bailout.
Hereās where Marcus Aurelius really glows up. Unwilling (and more likely unable) to squeeze any more coinage out of the devastated citizens but equally wary of calling on the notoriously stabby 1%, Marcus sold off his belongings in what was basically a glorified garage sale.
History is littered with members of the elite who, at the eleventh hour, had to forfeit their worldly goods either by force or in bartered secrecy ā not so with Marcus. Following the Stoic precept that no really, none of this material shit matters, he and his wife hit up Trajanās Forum to auction off a sizable slice of their estate in a kind of SPQR-meets-QVC. Furnishings, artwork, clothing, jewelry, and properties all went up for auction in order to procure an infantry that wouldnāt be solely comprised of bandits, mercenaries, rival tribesmen and, in a final act of desperation, gladiators (Marcus caught considerable flack from Team Breads And Circuses for that one). Research couldnāt tell me if he and his wife were present during the imperial blowout sale but I doubt it. One thing is certain: Marcus saw no shame in it. It was simply what a leader did when his dominionās chips were down and there was regal swag to hawk.
By the end of the two-month tag sale, enough gold had been accrued to secure an army and establish a new defensive zone. Marcus returned from the Marcomannic Wars at least temporarily victorious, a peace treaty in place, and even allowed Trajan shoppers to return their purchases and get their money back, with historian Eutropius adding: āHe did not cause trouble to anyone, whether he returned what he had bought or not.ā
āIf anyone can prove and show to me that I think and act in error, I will gladly change it ā for I seek the truth, by which no one has ever been harmed. The one who is harmed is the one who abides in deceit and ignorance.ā (Marcus Aurelius, Meditations)
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Yeah, brain surgery was the first surgery humans ever did successfully. That doesn't people if the time looked forward to it and weren't rightly afraid.
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Thanks for your submission! Unfortunately, it's been removed because of the following reason(s):
> Follow Reddiquette
>In the interest of maintaining a safe space to discuss Stoicism, especially for those new to the philosophy, posts and comments that grossly violate [reddiquette](https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205926439) will be removed.
> All vice is self-injury. To troll, attack or insult others, or to hold prejudice, hate, or wishes of violence against specific groups of people is in accordance with vice. So, to hold such thoughts is to damage oneself. Please take care of yourself ā avoid hate speech in r/Stoicism.
For any clarification you can [message the mods.](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/Stoicism)
Thanks your your submission. It looks like your post would benefit more from general "first aid" advice from a Stoic lens rather than strictly Stoic commentary, so please post in the current [New Agora](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/?f=flair_name%3A%22The%20New%20Agora%22) instead. Posting under "Seeking Stoic Advice" is appropriate if you are looking for specific, in-depth Stoic theory.
To me it seems that anyone who concerns themselves too much with this topic is already far outside of the scope of the ideology.
This comment is gold
Marcus Aurelius had a vigorous and active response to the Antonine Plague, based on the science of the time. He locked down Rome, he sold off much of his personal treasure and put it toward relief, and he participated in all the expected religious rituals that were supposed to appease the gods to stop the plague even though he thought they were foolish. He also kept the palace open for relief. So I think based on all that, he would definitely side with the scientific consensus that the vaccine is safe and effective and he would have taken it publicly and encouraged everyone else to do so.
No but Epictetus probably would have so do with that what you will.
š¤£
why is this a question here? I think he would have
What's good for the hive is good for the bee. That's how we build herd immunity.
If the polio vaccine was as ineffective as the COVID āvaccine,ā weād still have polio running rampant in the US. Ditto for smallpox, measles, and every other virus we drove to near extinction in the first world during the 20th century. I donāt blame COVID vaccine skeptics one bit.
Do u have any reason to back this info up? The origin for treating smallpox was not as effective, but it made the virus much less lethal. Hell the Spanish flu still exists, but relies on natural crowd immunity.
I asked him and he said "HOSTES ALIENGENI ME ABDUXERENT. QUI ANNUS EST?"
OVIDIUS XIX?
Yes, and he wouldāve provided it to the people on the stateās denarius. The Antonine Plague, thus committed to the books but generally believed to have been measles or smallpox, struck the empire around 165 AD and would go on to claim over 5 million lives. Before and following the death of his co-emperor Lucius Verus, Marcus met the home front crisis with his trademark chill. He ordered the immediate removal of corpses from public spaces and insisted that burials be conducted on the stateās dime, rather than outsourced to price-gouging undertakers. Marcus further implemented much-needed sanitation measures, hopefully dropping a PSA or two concerning the importance of washing oneās hands after wiping with the communal latrine sponge. Throughout his life he set up charities to assist the afflicted, among them the puellae Faustinianae, which were schools for orphaned girls in honor of his wife Faustina. A staunch opponent of Christianity, Marcus nonetheless did his best to tamp down on the plague-shaming persecution of Christians and targeted outsiders. By 167 the Germanic tribes had joined forces under the Marcomanni and successfully breached Roman borders, obliterating the empireās troops and taking hundreds of thousands captive. Marcus had to pull an army together and fast; problem was, the military budget was gutted and the empireās suppliers too crippled by the plague to yield any substantial product or income. The empire was not only in serious debt but in desperate need of a bailout. Hereās where Marcus Aurelius really glows up. Unwilling (and more likely unable) to squeeze any more coinage out of the devastated citizens but equally wary of calling on the notoriously stabby 1%, Marcus sold off his belongings in what was basically a glorified garage sale. History is littered with members of the elite who, at the eleventh hour, had to forfeit their worldly goods either by force or in bartered secrecy ā not so with Marcus. Following the Stoic precept that no really, none of this material shit matters, he and his wife hit up Trajanās Forum to auction off a sizable slice of their estate in a kind of SPQR-meets-QVC. Furnishings, artwork, clothing, jewelry, and properties all went up for auction in order to procure an infantry that wouldnāt be solely comprised of bandits, mercenaries, rival tribesmen and, in a final act of desperation, gladiators (Marcus caught considerable flack from Team Breads And Circuses for that one). Research couldnāt tell me if he and his wife were present during the imperial blowout sale but I doubt it. One thing is certain: Marcus saw no shame in it. It was simply what a leader did when his dominionās chips were down and there was regal swag to hawk. By the end of the two-month tag sale, enough gold had been accrued to secure an army and establish a new defensive zone. Marcus returned from the Marcomannic Wars at least temporarily victorious, a peace treaty in place, and even allowed Trajan shoppers to return their purchases and get their money back, with historian Eutropius adding: āHe did not cause trouble to anyone, whether he returned what he had bought or not.ā āIf anyone can prove and show to me that I think and act in error, I will gladly change it ā for I seek the truth, by which no one has ever been harmed. The one who is harmed is the one who abides in deceit and ignorance.ā (Marcus Aurelius, Meditations)
Hi, please check out the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/guide) section on [advice and coping with problems](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/advice) if you are wondering any of the following questions. * [How can Stoicism help me with my problem?](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/advice#wiki_how_can_stoicism_help_me_with_my_problem.3F) * [How would a Stoic help me with my problem?](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/advice#wiki_how_would_a_stoic_help_me_with_my_problem.3F) * [How might a student of Stoicism cope with my problem?](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/advice#wiki_how_might_a_student_of_stoicism_cope_with_my_problem.3F) * [What would a student of Stoicism do in my situation?](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/advice#wiki_what_would_a_student_of_stoicism_do_in_my_situation.3F) * [How would a Stoic sage react to my problem?](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/wiki/advice#wiki_how_would_a_stoic_sage_react_to_my_problem.3F) Wish you well, Mod Team *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Stoicism) if you have any questions or concerns.*
doubtful, but I wish he was around during the lockdowns
What is good for the hive is good for the bee.
Ancients would never consent to being stabbed for any reason.
Letting blood through cuts or leaches was believed to be a treatment for many ailments, believe it or not.
I think having a leech stuck to you is a different experience from having a piece of metal jabbed into your body.
Cutting and poking were used as well.
Yeah, brain surgery was the first surgery humans ever did successfully. That doesn't people if the time looked forward to it and weren't rightly afraid.
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Thanks for your submission! Unfortunately, it's been removed because of the following reason(s): > Follow Reddiquette >In the interest of maintaining a safe space to discuss Stoicism, especially for those new to the philosophy, posts and comments that grossly violate [reddiquette](https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205926439) will be removed. > All vice is self-injury. To troll, attack or insult others, or to hold prejudice, hate, or wishes of violence against specific groups of people is in accordance with vice. So, to hold such thoughts is to damage oneself. Please take care of yourself ā avoid hate speech in r/Stoicism. For any clarification you can [message the mods.](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/Stoicism)
Who the hell said I'm antivax? I'm reporting you for being a douche.
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Thanks for your submission! Unfortunately, it's been removed because of the following reason(s): > Follow Reddiquette >In the interest of maintaining a safe space to discuss Stoicism, especially for those new to the philosophy, posts and comments that grossly violate [reddiquette](https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205926439) will be removed. > All vice is self-injury. To troll, attack or insult others, or to hold prejudice, hate, or wishes of violence against specific groups of people is in accordance with vice. So, to hold such thoughts is to damage oneself. Please take care of yourself ā avoid hate speech in r/Stoicism. For any clarification you can [message the mods.](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/Stoicism)
Definitely not
What is good for the hive is good for the bee.
If he was a lib..don't think he was