Is Marcus Aurelius the example of Plato's philosopher king?

I think our instinct is to say yup, yes, definitely. Dig a little deeper, especially into the Plato's definition of philosopher-king and the process for choosing one - and maybe not. read more

Whatever artistic license the film may have taken with the facts of Aurelius’ life, the spirit of the man comes through as a close proximation to Plato’s concept of the Philosopher King articulated in Book V of the Republic. read more

(note that Marcus the "later" stages of a philosopher-king's development quite well. just not this early "guardian" stage.) In many ways Plato's philosopher-king was not supposed to be the best philosopher, but the strongest, most steadfast, and most rational mind. read more

Marcus Aurelius is, in fact, one of the few living examples of Plato's infamous "philosopher king" ideology—that is, a successful leader defined by his intelligence, reliability and appreciation of his people and status. read more