Marcus Aurelius (121-180 CE) was one of the so-called Five Good Emperors of the Roman Empire – and the last of them – and a stoic philosopher whose Meditations remains a classic of philosophical reflection and ethical commitment. In our time, political leaders, in both democracies and autocracies, are widely being accused of lacking integrity or even being incapable of coherent thought. Marcus Aurelius’ life and rational statesmanship might be considered a model for us to look back to, within the Western tradition. But how good a ruler was Marcus Aurelius? And, considering all factors, including his Meditations, to what extent should we regard him as a role model for our times? To what extent should we regard Stoicism, at least as he espoused it, as a suitable philosophy for a secular society in the 21st century?

This is the foreword that appears in the newly published volume of the Religiosity in Australia series, by Neil Francis.

What impact does religious affiliation, and the devoutness of that affiliation, have on the ethical values of Australians? This is the question that Neil Francis for the Rationalist Society has set out to answer in this volume in a definitive fashion that only hard numbers drawn from reliable sources like peer-reviewed scientific literature and high-quality university survey data can provide. It’s important to understand why Neil has dedicated his substantial statistical talents to this pursuit, and why the RSA has seen fit to publish the results. 

This article is based on a speech given by the author at the Secularism Australia Conference on 2 December in Sydney.

For all its faults, Australia is a free and democratic country with, generally, sensible attitudes towards religion and one of the best electoral systems in the world. It’s easy to be complacent and imagine this could never change. I’ve been researching the rise of Christian dominionism – a very close cousin of Christian nationalism – for the last 12 years. It’s an ideology that teaches that Jesus will not return to earth until his followers have established a global theocracy which will see Old Testament Biblical Law enforced across every nation. The dominionists’ plan for achieving total world domination is called the Seven Mountains Mandate. Followers of this ideology are encouraged, trained and mentored, to infiltrate and conquer the Seven Mountains of Influence. 

The virtue of intellectual humility is getting a lot of attention. It’s heralded as a part of wisdom, an aid to self-improvement and a catalyst for more productive political dialogue. While researchers define intellectual humility in various ways, the core of the idea is “recognising that one’s beliefs and opinions might be incorrect.” But achieving intellectual humility is hard. Overconfidence is a persistent problem, faced by many, and does not appear to be improved by education or expertise. Even scientific pioneers can sometimes lack this valuable trait. Take the example of one of the greatest scientists of the 19th century, Lord Kelvin, who was not immune to overconfidence. In a 1902 interview “on scientific matters now prominently before the public mind,” he was asked about the future of air travel: “(W)e have no hope of solving the problem of aerial navigation in any way?”