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How Seneca viewed time
In contrast to modern philosophers, Seneca did not give a great importance to time. Like other Stoic thinkers, he did not fundamentally care whether his life was long or short. Seneca’s view of time is worth studying because it helps us understand key concepts of Stoicism. In his 49th and 101st Letters to Lucilius, Seneca…
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Seneca on the best use of time
I love ancient time management techniques because they do not rely on technology. They revolve around human nature and the concentration of one’s efforts; and their advice can be put into practice right away. In his Letters to Lucilius, Seneca made recommendations on time management, especially in the 47th and 101st Letters. His advice can…
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Seneca’s Letters from a Stoic, explained
Amongst all Stoic philosophers, Seneca has attained the widest reach and popularity. The reason is not hard to figure out. He simply wrote more and better than all others put together. Seneca devoted more than two decades of his life to writing. At the beginning, he wrote plays for the theatre, tragedies, that don’t deserve…
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Seneca’s thoughts on self-reliance
In history, the concept of self-reliance developed in parallel to the concept of individuality. In the absence of autonomy, we cannot speak of self-reliance. In the absence of personal assets, there is no room for deploying them effectively. The Stoics, Zeno, Cleanthes, Chrysippus, and Seneca, were the first philosophers to underline the importance of individual…
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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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