Despite his extensive philosophising, Seneca never showed a systematic approach to philosophy. His Letters to Lucilius employ hundreds of times the word “virtue,” but do not connect it to metaphysics, epistemology, politics, aesthetics or to the Aristotelian tradition. Seneca was a gifted writer, but not a systematic thinker. His goal was to prevent misery more…

The best advice provided by Seneca concerns the method for making decisions. His recommendations are condensing decades of philosophical reflection, and a profound knowledge of Ancient Greek and Roman history. Seneca’s advice is straightforward: Keep going in the right direction and do not dwell on difficulties and setbacks. He had seen too many of his…

I tend to examine philosophers as closely as I examine their philosophy. Did they preach by example? Did they put their ideas successfully into practice? Did they lead a happy life and inspired their friends and family members? Seneca laboured intensively in the pursuit of wisdom. He devoted four decades of his life to reflecting…

Unlike most thinkers, Seneca (4 BC-65 AD) spent as much time selling philosophy as doing philosophy. The reason is not hard to fathom. In his youth, he had fallen severely ill, only to realize that none of his friends or family members could give him the encouragement he needed. Seneca had listened to their messages…

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…

Every artwork entails magnification. It blows some aspects of reality out of proportion to underline their significance from the creator’s viewpoint. Other aspects are minimized, ignored, distorted or blurred. Seneca was a playwright before becoming a Stoic philosopher. It is enlightening to study his plays because they announce the principles of Stoicism, magnify its powerful…

Forgiveness has become the universal recipe for betrayal, at least theoretically. Moral leaders tell their flock to forget what they have suffered, purify their hearts, and move on with their lives. In the early Roman Empire, Seneca was the most notable philosopher to preach forgiveness as a recipe for dealing with betrayal. His recommendations are…

Let us beware of people who preach passivity because they might be trying to slow us down. If they have already taken advantage of the situation, they might be preaching resignation to prevent their victims from taking action. Seneca condemned revenge, but did his idea of revenge also include creative, peaceful solutions? When he wrote…

When people read the writings of Seneca and put them into practice, the consequences can be disappointing. If they were looking for easy solutions, they would soon discover that Stoicism is hard to implement and arduous to sustain. Am I exaggerating the difficulties of practising Stoicism in all areas of life? Not in the least.…