What Rules Your Ruling Reason?
Even the most disciplined minds are shaped by hidden forces. True wisdom requires asking: who is watching the watchmen inside your own head?
"How does your ruling reason manage itself? For in that is the key to everything. Whatever else remains, be it in the power of your choice or not, is but a corpse and smoke." Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 12.33
The Roman satirist Juvenal is famous for the question, Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? ("Who watches the watchmen?"). The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius posed an identical question to himself. You might use reason and logic to guide your life, but what actually influences that underlying ruling reason?
You can study philosophy all day, but you can't ignore the realities of biology, psychology, and neurology. Deep-seated forces control every individual who possesses rational thinking abilities. Your self-perception as a highly patient individual will break when you attempt to make an important choice without food. Science demonstrates that our physical bodies frequently take control of our mental faculties.
The lesson here shows that people must go beyond learning Stoic concepts. You need to explore the forces that make those concepts possible—or impossible—to practice. The process requires you to investigate your mental and physical functions at their core. Complete self-control requires you to understand both your "watchmen" (your ruling reason) and the hidden powers that govern them.
Common Questions
What does "Who watches the watchmen?" mean here?
It means questioning the very tool you use to make decisions. Your "ruling reason" manages your choices, but you have to step back and ask what subconscious or biological forces are secretly managing your reason.
Why does the author bring up things like evolutionary biology?
Because philosophy doesn't happen in a vacuum. Your rational mind is heavily influenced by your physical state (like hunger, sleep, or stress) and your deep psychological programming. Acknowledging these forces makes your practice realistic.
Does this mean my rational choices are an illusion?
Not an illusion, but definitely vulnerable. Reason is your ultimate tool, but if you don't understand how your body and subconscious work, your brain might just be rationalizing physical impulses without you even realizing it.
Your Key Takeaway: True self-mastery requires looking deeper. Don't just train your logic; learn to understand the hidden physical and emotional forces that pull the strings of your mind.