《沉思录·卷四·退隐于自己的心》第36条
Observe constantly that all things take place by change, and accustom thyself to consider that the nature of the universe loves nothing so much as to change the things which are and to make new things like them. For everything that exists is in a manner the seed of that which will be. But thou art thinking only of seeds which are cast into the earth or into a womb: but this is a very vulgar notion.
注释摘要
奥勒留在这一段里谈论的不是赫拉克利特式的流变感叹，而是斯多葛物理学的一个核心命题：宇宙是一个有序的、不断自我更新的有机体。他用的那个说法——宇宙的本性“喜欢”变化——在希腊文里带着一种近乎人格化的温情，这不是修辞上的拟人，而是斯多葛派的基本立场：宇宙本身是一个有生命的、有理性的整体，它的所有活动都出自内在的logos，不是被外力推动，而是自我驱动。变化在这…