History Essay

5.   Suspend disbelief! Marcus Aurelius and Confucius are sitting in a bar in Rome 

during the second century CE, chatting and sipping diluted wine. What might 

their opinions on the present state (second century CE) of Rome and the Roman 

empire be? Or China during the Spring and Autumn period (6

th

century BCE)? 

Imagine that they begin to explain their respective philosophical and practical 

reactions to the disorder in their worlds. What are some of the main challenges 

they discuss? What were their solutions? Do they agree on anything?  Compose 

your essay in the form of a conversation between these two historical figures.