《沉思录·卷六·宇宙即变化》第1条
The substance of the universe is obedient and compliant; and the reason which governs it has in itself no cause for doing evil, for it has no malice, nor does it do evil to anything, nor is anything harmed by it. But all things are made and perfected according to this reason.
注释摘要
奥勒留在这里做了一个非常重大的形而上学断言。他把宇宙一分为二，一个是“宇宙的实体”，一个是“治理它的理性”。在斯多葛的物理体系中，实体是被动的质料，是构成万物的基质；而理性，也就是logos，是主动的原则，是渗透在万物之中，赋予万物形式、秩序和运行法则的神圣原理。他形容这实体是“顺从的”，意味着质料本身没有抗拒理性的能力，它完全按照理性的蓝图来被塑形。这种…