Seneca
Practical Insights From The World’s Most Controversial Stoic
Treat This Day As If It Was The Last Day Of Your Life
Seneca - Introduction
Overview
Seneca [or Lucius Annaeus Seneca to give him his full title] lived from 4 BCE to 65 CE and was a stoic philosopher, rhetorician, mentor to an emporer, politician and businessman.
He is highly regarded as a teacher and author of Stoic teachings, wisdom and insights and yet is regarded as a controversial figure of his time for his long association with the infamous emperor Nero to whom he was initially a tutor and mentor when Nero was a boy and then as a Roman senator and eventually as political advisor to Nero when he became emperor.
Seneca The Politician
Seneca experienced the ups and downs of political
life and whilst in service to Nero's predecessor Claudius, and
following allegations of sexual impropriety with Julia Livilla
[Claudius's niece], Seneca was exiled to the island of Corsica for 8
years.
Following his recall to Rome, and on the ascendancy of Nero, Seneca became one of the most powerful and wealthy people in the Roman empire at that time and [temporarily] second only to Nero himself.
Whilst helping Nero he most certainly helped himself and become one of the richest people in the Roman Empire at that time, until he sailed too close to the political wind, was out-manoeuvred by Nero and "invited" to commit suicide.
Seneca's Inconsistencies and Apparent Hypocrisy
Historians have considered and debated the
inconsistencies and apparent hypocrisy between Seneca's Stoic teachings
and ideals and his worldly political and financial success in the service
of one of the most venal and vicious Roman emporers.
In her review "Seneca: A Life by Emily Wilson review – temptation and virtue in imperial Rome" Emily Gowers writes:
Since Miriam Griffin’s Seneca: A Philosopher in Politics (1976), historians have wondered how Seneca could reconcile being a millionaire courtier and Nero’s adviser with his Stoic principles.
"...the more interesting question is why he preached what he did, when he knew his integrity was so compromised..."
She concludes that Seneca's "...urgent, fortifying self-analysis became a literary habit."
and that Seneca "...presents two split halves of himself..."
and "...contorts himself to argue that wealth and virtue are not always incompatible..."
and concludes that Seneca's "...solution was retreat into a world he could more easily control: his own writings."
Modern Stoic apologists such as Massimo Pigliucci have addressed the question and concluded "Seneca Was a Man, Not a Sage"
Seneca The Stoic - Writings
# Epistulae Morales - Letters from a Stoic — A collection of short moral letters addressed to Lucilius and discussing a wide range of philosophical topics, such as grief, wealth, anger, success, failure, and jealousy.
Book Summary, Key Lessons and Best Quotes from "The Daily Stoic"
# De Brevitate Vitae - On the Shortness of Life — This might be the quickest introduction to Seneca, covering a topic many of us feel we understand but don’t: time.
In Seneca on The Shortness of Time Shane Parrish of Farnham Street explains how "...time is one of the most under-appreciated mental models that we all encounter,
and yet it’s the most ubiquitous. When employed correctly, time becomes
an amplifier. When spent without consideration, it becomes a persistent
source of regret."
# De Clementia - On Mercy — A treatise, written to Nero, on blood, happiness, and anger.
Seneca - The Happy Life
A Life Worth Living
Letter 92 of "Letters from A Stoic" is a good summary of the Stoic philosophy and is still a relevant practical guide for living.
Seneca wrote
these letters towards the end of his life, and unlike Marcus Aurielius
who wrote his "Meditations" as an exercise in stoic journaling soley for
his own benefit, clearly with a view to posthumous publication and
establishing his philosophical legacy.
The word "happy" has a deeper and richer meaning in the original Greek word eudaimonia which more literally means "human flourishing" or "blessedness" and can be paraphrased as "a life worth living".
The stoics believed that the practice of virtue [arete - literally meaning excellence] was the route to a life worth living.
Seneca expands on this theme in book twenty "Of A Happy Life" and sets out the following "seven commandments" to himself:
Seneca - Resources
Other Articles On This Site Aligned With Seneca
Supporting Material From Third Party Sources
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy [Stanford University]:
From "The Daily Stoic":
- Who Is Seneca? Inside The Mind of The World's Most Interesting Stoic
- Letters From a Stoic by Seneca: Book Summary, Key Lessons and Best Quotes
From Massimo Pigliucci:
- A Series Of Short Audio Meditations On Seneca's Writings
- A Selection Of Essays and Articles On Seneca
Return To: The Stoics
LATEST ARTICLES
The Art Of Persuasion Planning For Success - Here's How To Do It!
To be successful in the art of persuasion you must ensure that certain things happen. To be successful in the art of persuasion you must establish a framework of what has to happen to get you to that…The Art Of Persuasion Advanced Communication Skills - Gaining Buyin
Create The Environment Where They Want To Buyin to Your Proposal In order to build the win-win you have to uncover what it is that the other person really wants or needs, and to do that you have to as…The Art Of Persuasion The One Fundamental Principle - Create A Win-Win
The art of persuasion is based on the simple idea that you get what you want by enabling the other party to get what they want. Being a nice friendly person with good inter-personal skills may be a go…Communication Persuasion And Change - Key Skills To Survive & Succeed
It's not the strongest that survive, nor the most intelligent, but those who are most responsive to change, the most persuasive, and the best communicators. We are living in an age of unprecedented ch…The Eisenhower Box - What Is Important Is Seldom Urgent
What Is Important Is Seldom Urgent And What Is Urgent Is Seldom Important. The Eisenhower Box is a time management and decision-making model devised by President Dwight Eisenhower to help him prioriti…Zen Enlightenment [Satori] - The Stink Of Zen
Lost In Our Delusions About Enlightenment. There is something in human nature - a desire to glamorise, sanctify, objectify and idolise – that elevates people who have offered deep insights to the huma…5 Zen Mindsets For Mastery - In Any Area Of Your Life
The Wisdom Of A Person Who Masters In Any Art Is Reflected In Their Every Attitude. The state and quality of your mind has a very large bearing on the quality of your performance in any area of life t…Dealing With The Toxicity Of Online Dating - 6 Key Tips From A Clinical Psychologist
Toxicity Is The Price Tag Of Accessibility. In the early days of online dating, users were vetted and had to go through a registration process and agree to comply with a code of conduct designed to en…Why Understanding Ergodicity Is Critical To Your Long Term Survival
How Not To Be Fooled By Randomness. Ergodicity is an ugly word from the world of mathematics. It is an umbrella term for two sets of conditions of probability and outcome. These two conditions form th…Dealing With Imposter Syndrome - Ego Is The Enemy
How You Frame A Situation Has A Profound Impact On How You Respond To It Emotionally. Imposter syndrome is a psycho-emotional experience of a fear of being found out as incompetent despite ongoing evi…The Challenges Of The Road Less Traveled
Issues You'll Face When Playing The Long Game. The challenges of the road less traveled is loosely based around the phrase popularised by M.Scott Peck with his book "The Road Less Traveled". This arti…How To Benefit From the Unseen Margins - 5 Key Tips For Success
These Unseen Margins Can Have A Very Dramatic Impact On Your Life. To understand how to benefit from the unseen margins we need to start by understanding what they are and where we find them. In this…The Art Of Thinking Clearly - How To Do More Than Just Survive And Reproduce
3 Key Tips The art of thinking clearly starts with the sobering realisation that our brains are designed to achieve two things: Survival and Reproduction! 98% of our thinking is unconscious, automatic…Algorithms to Live By - 5 Useful Rules Of Thumb
5 Useful Heuristics From Algorithms To Live By The thesis of the book "Algorithms to Live By" is that algorithms developed for computers can be used by people in everyday life in a wide range of situa…Finding Signal In The Noise - How To Avoid The Noise Bottleneck
The Art Of Being Wise Is The Art Of Knowing What To Overlook. We are blessed and cursed to live in the digital age. We have access to more information than we can possibly handle yet we struggle to fi…The Checklist Manifesto - Your Personal Safety Net
A Checklist Is A Safety Net That Encourages Better Results And Prevents Avoidable Mistakes. The volume and complexity of what we know has exceeded our individual ability to deliver its benefits correc…How Not To Be Stupid - 4 Key Tips
How To Avoid The 7 Causes Of Everyday Stupidity. We are all capable of everyday stupidity as we undertake routine tasks in our business and working lives and also in our personal lives. This is not ab…Beginners Mind And The Voice Of Experience
Only The Experts Survived Evolution.
"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few." These are the famous words of Shunryu Suzuki in "Zen Mind, Beginner's Min…The Art Of Being Alone Is A Skill
Let's Make Today A Good Day. You may not have chosen the condition of being alone, and it may have been imposed upon you by circumstances beyond your control, but your response to the situation is wit…Intuition & Anxiety - Are There Angels Or Devils Calling Here?
How To Tell The Difference Between Intuition and Anxiety. How do you know whether the voice of your intuition is real or just the product of your inner anxiety? We all struggle with these inner voices…Like A Prayer - Life Is A Mystery
It Isn't The Process Of Prayer That’s The Problem, It’s The Way It’s Framed. Regardless of what we feel about Madonna or her song the topic of prayer often arouses strong reactions. Usually, it is som…Fear Of Missing Out - "I'll Have What She's Having!"
We Follow The Herd - We Mimic Other People's Choices. Fear of missing out - or FOMO as it is popularly referred to - is the feeling that everyone else in your peer group is having much more fun than y…Free - Self Improvement Resources
Exercising Balance and Discernment. I have just updated these self improvement resources with a number of additional sources of material that are practical and can help you change your life. Check it…Your Higher Self - Your Hardwired Portal To The Universe
This Is The You That Is Beyond Your Thinking Mind. This is the big you, the transcendent you, the you that is often referred to as your higher consciousness or higher self. This is the you that acts a…The Power Of Gratitude - It's Good For You!
Gratitude And Attitude Are Not Challenges, They Are Choices. The power of gratitude quite simply is that it is good for you! Many of us were raised by parents who instilled in us the social niceties o…Living With Your Thoughts - 4 Tools To Help You
Develop A Good Working Relationship With Your Mind. The first step in living with your thoughts is to understand and develop a good working relationship with all areas of your mind. The key to develop…You Are Not Your Thoughts - How To Escape This Ferris Wheel Of Suffering
The 4 Stages To Dealing With Your Thoughts. You are not your thoughts, at least that's what your rational mind tells you most of the time, but that's definitely not how it feels at 3 am when you have…Finish What You Start - Action Will Destroy Your Procrastination
4 Key Tips To Help You Finish What You Start. So why do you fail to finish what you start? Or in my case, why do I fail to even get started? There is a wealth of information out there about how to avo…Going The Extra Mile - The Power Of One More
Life Is Non-Linear, Which Makes The Rewards Of Continued Effort Disproportionately Big. In the pursuit of a long term goal you have to go countless extra miles to set yourself up for a big success. Go…Tao Te Ching - Connecting To Your True Source Of Power.
How To Be Lived By The Tao. The Tao Te Ching is one of those books that many people read, few understand, and even fewer put into practice. The only way to know the Tao is to experience it, and it is…