《沉思录·卷十二·此刻即全部》第28条
To those who ask, Where hast thou seen the gods, or how dost thou comprehend that they exist and so worshippest them, I answer, in the first place, they may be seen even with the eyes; in the second place, neither have I seen even my own soul, and yet I honor it. Thus then with respect to the gods, from what I constantly experience of their power, from this I comprehend that they exist, and I venerate them.
注释摘要
这一段是在回应一个根本性的质疑：你说你敬奉神明，可你亲眼见过他们吗？你怎么知道他们存在？奥勒留给出的回答很坦率，也带着斯多葛派特有的经验主义色彩。他说，首先，神明是可以用眼睛看见的。他指的不是看见拟人化的神祇形象，而是看见宇宙秩序本身。星辰的运行、四季的更替、万物的生生不息，在斯多葛派看来，这些本身就是神明存在的可见证据。整个宇宙是一个有生命的、有理性的整…