Before praising the advantages of a philosophy, we should devote equal efforts to assessing its disadvantages. Few people enjoy looking at the risks of projects because the outcome can prove depressing, but rational decision making requires us to look before we jump.
Seneca was partially aware of the flaws in his philosophy, but failed to address them in his writings. By the time Seneca had committed himself to addressing those issues, it was too late. He had been already marked for death by Nero (37-68 AD), and then pushed to commit suicide.
At first sight, it seems difficult to believe that there are risks in Seneca’s ideas, that is, in mainstream Stoicism. If those ideas have been frequently endorsed in history, is it not safe to assume that they are true and beneficial?
Besides, what could be possibly wrong in a philosophy that is promoting peaceful cooperation, honesty and modesty. If we all followed Seneca’s recommendations, is it not true that the world would be a better place?
Those are solid questions, but do not prove the correctness of Seneca’s ideas. The questions will elicit the answer that, yes, indeed, there are many ideas worse than Seneca’s and possibly, large numbers of people could benefit from reading his works.
I don’t need to be convinced of those benefits. I regard them as incontrovertible, but incomplete facts. The problem is that a partial truth, when assumed to be whole, can inflict devastating damage.
Seneca: Peace of mind as top priority
Let me give an unrelated example to show what I mean. If I am asked by a tourist “Can you swim from the mainland to the nearby island?”, I should give the complete answer.
If I answer that “the water temperature is great this week,” I would be giving a partial truth. Indeed, the water is warm, but I am omitting to say that there are sharks in the area, and that it’s dangerous to swim to the nearby island.
Seneca was giving us a partial truth. He was right in saying that the water is warm, but he should have warned us about the sharks. By giving a partial truth, Seneca has created enormous risks for his followers.
To make things worse, it’s not easy to perceive the sharks in Seneca’s philosophy. If we want to avoid them, we need to stay alert, so that we can adopt countermeasures at the first sign of their appearance.
Seneca was correct in recommending that we cultivate inner peace by accepting things that cannot be changed. Indeed, we’ll all encounter hassles for as long as we are alive, but we should not be too willing to accept hassles as unchangeable, perennial and unavoidable.
Where are the sharks in the story? There are several of them but their blueish colour renders them invisible in the water. I’m referring to the lowering of our drive to succeed, our alertness to opportunities, and our ability to judge people accurately.
Seneca: Problem acceptance vs. problem solving
If we let Seneca convince us that life is full of hassles and that we should accept them quietly, we will be tempted to give up our ambitious too quickly; we’ll get used to losing ground and fail to see opportunities for high growth; we’ll be too easy in forgiving malfeasance, instead of sternly condemning it.
I am not talking about little, innocent sharks, but of sizeable predators. If we fail to perceive them and deflect them, they’ll inflict severe damage. Those predators personify the risks in Seneca’s philosophy.
Seneca’s call for passive acceptance has a chilling effect on one’s ambitions. He is not telling us to give up our dreams, but he is curtailing our perspective. He is making us lose sight of our ambitions, prompting us to rate them as unattainable.
The 12th Letter to Lucilius is a salient example of Seneca’s curtailed perspective. He is advising us to enjoy each moment and “consider each day as a separate life.”
Seneca expected a curtailed perspective to lessen the mental pressure to perform and succeed. The lower the pressure, he argued, the lower the anxiety. If we give up our ambitions, we will increase our peace of mind.
I view those as partial truths that prevent us from perceiving sharks. Seneca should have enunciated the whole truth. He should have noted that a curtailed perspective will prevent us from making long-term plans, carrying them out, and attaining ambitious goals.
Seneca: Peace of mind vs. tangible action
Seneca’s worst mistake is his failure to condemn aggressive, abusive behaviour. I regard this mistake as the largest cover-up for sharks. His 78th Letter to Lucilius places sickness and evil behaviour in the same category, without differentiating them.
For Seneca, those are normal hassles to be expected, and the purpose of philosophy is to learn to cope with them. We should learn to regard them as “daily events,” Seneca affirms, instead as dreadful or condemnable.
I couldn’t disagree more. Seneca is encouraging his readers to refrain from condemning evil actions and silently accept the role of victims. If we follow this piece of advice, we might end up destroying our lives, instead of achieving peace of mind.
If we refuse to pass moral judgement, we will only increase the risks and embolden the sharks. Inactivity tends to make problems larger, not smaller. When ignored, threats tend to become more poisonous and lethal.
Seneca was wrong in believing that anxiety can be reduced by ignoring problems and withdrawing into our internal world. Or if the problems cannot be solved, we should at least figure out how to circumvent them, minimize them, or avert them.
In his 13th Letter to Lucilius, Seneca is advising his readers to stay put and endure problems without attempting to escape them. Our goal should be to “unburden our mind,” Seneca said, and achieve peace of mind despite any problems.
I regard this passivity as the root cause of the risks in Seneca’s philosophy. If we just look the other way, should we expect problems to solve themselves? If we refrain from taking action, should we expect to achieve peace of mind? I very much doubt it.
If you are interested in putting rational ideas into practice in all kinds of situations, I recommend my book “Against all odds: How to achieve great victories in desperate times.”
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