Category: Seneca
-
Key Seneca’s insights to implement today
Stoicism tends to make a deeper impression on individuals who enjoy solitude, or at least, who don’t dislike it. The reason is not difficult to fathom. Solitude begets thoughtfulness, which then begets a drive for self-improvement. Seneca was conscious of this fact. In his 7th Letter to Lucilius, Seneca advises that, without a fair measure…
-
How to use Seneca’s philosophy today
Philosophy is either perennial or false because it is based on the principles underlying the universe and human nature. Great thinkers such as Aristotle (384-322 BC) identified and codified those principles. When we affirm that Aristotle’s philosophy is true, we mean that Aristotle has correctly identified those principles and then codified them in an intelligible…
-
Philosophical lessons from Seneca’s life (Part 4)
When a philosopher spends his life telling others what to do, it’s fair to ask if his own life has been a success. In the case of Seneca, the fact that he committed suicide at sixty-nine makes it hard to categorize his life as success. Emperor Nero had decided Seneca’s execution, but giving him first…
-
Philosophical lessons from Seneca’s life (Part 3)
It frequently happens that individuals will criticise someone else’s mistakes more readily than they will admit their own. We all find our own psychological defences hard to overcome and Seneca was the paramount example. When he became tutor to Nero, the future Roman Emperor, it didn’t take long for Seneca to realize that Nero was…
-
Philosophical lessons from Seneca’s life (Part 2)
Due to the edict issued by Emperor Claudius, Seneca spent eight years in exile in Corsica. His property, family and friends had remained in Rome. Since the imperial edict had not specified the length of the exile, Seneca believed that he would have to stay in Corsica for the rest of his life. When Seneca…
-
Philosophical lessons from Seneca’s life (Part 1)
When analysing the insights of great philosophers, I love to look at their biographies and see the practical implications. Do their biographies reflect the benefits of their insights? Did their choices prove particularly perceptive and clever? Seneca (4 BC-65 AD) passed the biography test with flight colours. His choices mirrored his philosophy and all his…
-
Seneca: effectiveness in the face of criticism
It is easy to dispense advice in retrospect and tell people what they should have done. It is far more difficult to make the right decisions in real time, while being bitterly criticised and publicly attacked. Psychological pressure is hard to resist, especially when it is coming at us from all directions. Seneca knew that,…
-
Seneca on dealing with criticism
Conflict is the one of main sources of preoccupations in life. Interpersonal conflicts tend to generate higher anxiety than natural disasters. Most people find daily quarrels with their spouses more nerve-wrecking than one-in-a-lifetime damages inflicted by a volcano. In his 78th Letter to Lucilius, Seneca studied negative emotions and provided useful recommendations. The validation of…
-
Seneca: putting the good life into practice
In ancient Greece and Rome, philosophy was conceived as a practical science; the purposes of philosophical learning were clearly defined: success, joy and happiness. Aristotle (384-322 BC) wrote his “Eudemian Ethics” and “Nicomachean Ethics” with the stated goal of helping his students achieve happiness. Seneca was not an exception in this regard. A prolific writer,…
-
Seneca: myths about the good life
In the search for happiness, it is as important to do the right thing as it is to avoid dire mistakes. Seneca put together a list of mistakes to avoid, and warned us against our natural tendency to look for shortcuts. When it comes to virtue, character and happiness, I am afraid that every inch…
Categories
Recent Posts
- The cost of Taoist harmony
- Taoist harmony in the middle of chaos
- The hidden balance in Taoism
- Taoist views on balance and harmony
Tags
aesthetics Art of living authenticity balanced lifestyle biography Buddhism causality character development education effectiveness epistemology equanimity existentialism flourishing friendship governance happiness harmony humanism human nature intellectual pursuits justice literary style logic love and relationships moderation nature of existence peacefulness peace of mind personal growth pessimism potentiality relativism Renaissance resilience rhetoric self-discipline simple lifestyle solitude theory of the will the problem of evil Time management unconscious mind virtue wisdom