Category: Seneca
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Seneca’s principles for thriving in life
Large numbers of philosophers have preached ideals that do not have anything to do with real life. When I read their works, I can only wonder if they spent one minute reflecting on work, success, prosperity or happiness. Seneca exemplifies the opposite. He devoted his works to dealing with real-life concerns and supplied useful advice.…
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Seneca on the fear of death
Historians have greatly exaggerated the importance of the Stoic insights on the fear of death. Seneca wrote about death in his essays and in the Letters to Lucilius, but did little more than rehashing the views of earlier philosophers. I can summarise Seneca’s insights in two sentences: First, death is part of the normal life…
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Misunderstandings about Seneca’s ideas
It is not a coincidence that historians and philosophers have spread large misunderstandings of Stoicism, especially of the ideas presented by Seneca in his writings. They did so, not to destroy Seneca’s reputation, but to push their own doctrines to the forefront. They believed that, by undermining the appeal of Stoicism, people would be driven…
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Understanding Seneca’s philosophy
For modern readers, Stoicism is hard to understand because our century is vastly different from the early Roman Empire. It is easy for us to read the writings of Seneca, but his words do not make any sense in the present context. What has changed so drastically? The opportunities open to individuals. Today, each person…
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Seneca’s essays on life
The accuracy of a philosophy does not depend on the length of the examples and explanations. Nonetheless, it does not hurt if the philosopher recounts anecdotes from history, literature and his own life, and complements them with well-structured arguments. Seneca was a master in this respect. No other Stoic philosopher comes close to his literary…
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The risks of thinking like Seneca
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…
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How to think like Seneca
We could substantially increase our performance if we learn to think like the greatest philosophers in history, but is it really possible? I consider it feasible to the extent that one is familiar with the corresponding ideas and those are consistent. Aristotelian thinkers know the works of Aristotle (384-322 BC), have absorbed their principles, and…
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What Seneca got wrong about resilience
I am sceptical of remedies that cure all types of sickness; and when it comes to philosophy, I’m sceptical of prescriptions that can assuage profound suffering. In the case of Seneca, resilience was the universal prescription. What did Seneca get wrong about resilience? Is it not true that resilience can help anyone deal with setbacks…
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Seneca on resilience
In history, Stoicism was the first philosophy that regarded resilience as a crucial virtue. Every Stoic principle rests on the assumption that resilience delivers important benefits. Why did Stoic philosophers place resilience at the centre of their ethics? Because their pessimistic expectations had led them to view conflict, setbacks and poverty as normal events. Stoics…
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Seneca’s warning against Stoicism
Philosophers are all too eager to speak about the benefits of their ideals, but will seldom mention the drawbacks. I’m afraid that it is up to the readers to figure out the problems and adopt countermeasures. Seneca came up with essential insights about Stoicism and the good life, but also made some dire mistakes. I…
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