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An Evaluation of the Chen Jingyuan Case Based on Marcus Aurelius’s Core Ideas in Stoic Philosophy
Marcus Aurelius (121-180 CE), the Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher, penned Meditations as a personal guide to virtue amid power’s temptations. His Stoicism, drawing from Epictetus and Seneca, emphasizes the dichotomy of control—distinguishing what is “up to us” (judgments, intentions, virtues like wisdom and justice) from externals (events, outcomes); living in accordance with nature (kata phusin), accepting fate (amor fati) with equanimity; cosmopolitanism as brotherhood of rational beings; and resilience through self-examination, where adversity tests the soul’s inner citadel. Aurelius viewed unjust authority as indifferent to virtue, urging rulers to govern with humanity, not force. The Chen Jingyuan case—a doctoral scholar sentenced to 20 months for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” (PRC Criminal Law Article 293) over Twitter forwards—through Aurelius’s lens, exemplifies a test of the soul’s citadel: the judiciary’s coercive “order” lies beyond control, yet Chen’s steadfast inquiry affirms virtue, exposing the system’s indifference to rational cosmopolitanism and natural harmony.
1. The Dichotomy of Control: Judicial Coercion as Indifferent External, Testing Inner Virtue
Aurelius’s dichotomy (Meditations 5.20) teaches mastery over internals—perceptions, choices—while accepting externals like fate’s decrees with indifference (adiaphora).
The 20-month sentence is such an external: imposed by fortune’s wheel, indifferent to Chen’s control, as evidentiary voids (prosecutor’s unverified admission, zero causal chaos from <100 retweets of Hayek critiques or the “Trump-kneeling Xi” cartoon) underscore arbitrary decree. Yet Chen’s prison letter—controlling judgment through taxonomy (art/emotion/reason/fact) and avalanche theory—exemplifies Stoic mastery: internals affirm virtue, transforming adversity into ethical citadel. The closed-door trial and “shut up” directive test this boundary: Aurelius would praise Chen’s equanimity—dormant account as serene withdrawal—while critiquing the judiciary’s overreach: externals demand acceptance, not passion for “order,” as selective enforcement (millions unpunished) reveals indifference’s caprice. Virtue endures: the soul’s control remains unbreached.
2. Living in Accordance with Nature: “Disruption” as Misjudged Indifferent to Cosmic Logos
Aurelius’s kata phusin aligns human reason with universal logos—rational order—viewing externals as natural indifferents, judged by their harmony with virtue (Meditations 4.23).
The verdict misjudges this alignment: “disruptive intent” perceives Chen’s inquiry as anti-logos chaos, yet nature’s flux—evidentiary voids (no ripple)—indifferently affirms harmony. The “high education implies discernment” presumption abstracts from logos: Aurelius would see it as passionate error, as in Meditations 6.44—externals like shares are natural, judged by virtue’s measure. The non-oral appeal disrupts alignment: Chen’s theory, rationally harmonizing flux, is silenced, as anomalies (prosecutor’s confession) signal nature’s indifferent course. Stoic cosmopolitanism shines: Chen’s unyielding taxonomy—brotherhood of reason—transcends local “order,” affirming logos amid coercion.
3. Amor Fati and Resilience: The Sentence as Fate’s Indifferent Test of Ethical Fortitude
Aurelius’s amor fati embraces fate joyfully (Meditations 7.9)—indifferents as opportunities for virtue, the soul’s citadel unassailable.
The ordeal tests this amor: 20 months’ fate, indifferent as fortune’s decree, yet Chen’s letter—resiliently affirming inquiry’s joy—embraces it without regret, taxonomy as ethical fortitude. The judiciary falters: “upper-level instructions” resent fate’s test, imposing un-Stoic passion. Aurelius would commend Chen’s citadel: dormant account as amor’s quiet yes, fate’s indifferent wheel turning virtue’s mill.
Conclusion: Aurelius’s Lens on the Case—Indifferents Testing an Unshakable Citadel
From Marcus Aurelius’s imperial Stoicism, the Chen Jingyuan case is fortune’s forge: externals indifferently test control, misjudged “order” defies nature, fate’s amor affirms resilient virtue. As of October 26, 2025, no retrial or exoneration has occurred; Chen’s account remains dormant, its quiet an Aurelian vigil. This case cautions: embrace indifferents, and the citadel stands. As Aurelius meditated, “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts”—may Chen’s thoughts yet fortify.