In today’s post we’re discussing the life and work of Seneca, a Stoic Playwright & Senator from the Roman Empire. We’ll also touch on some of the lessons we can take from this classic Stoic.
From happiness and entertainment to embracing a virtuous death, there is much we can learn of Seneca’s work.
Who was Seneca the Younger?
First off, Seneca was a playwright, tragedist, senator and Stoic philosopher who lived around the same time as Jesus.
Seneca was Rome’s leading intellectual in the mid-1st century and became advisor to Emperor Nero during his reign.
Where did Seneca the Younger live?
Seneca lived in the Roman Empire his entire life, between 4 BCE and 65 CE. He was born in Córdoba in Hispania and moved to Rome in his youth to learn rhetoric an philosophy.
In his twenties he contracted something similar to tuberculosis and moved to his aunt in Egypt (c. 20 CE), who nursed him back to health over a period of about 10 years. By the year 31, he returned to Rome.
He was then exiled to Corsica in the year 41 CE for 8 years by Emperor Claudius. Claudius believed that Seneca was committing adultery with his niece, princess Julia Livilla.
In the year 49, Seneca was allowed to return to Rome to tutor young Nero. Nero would grow to become emperor of Rome five years later.
Is Seneca in the Bible?
The Correspondence of Paul and Seneca is a collection of letters claiming to be between Paul the Apostle and Seneca the Younger. These letters, included in the hidden texts of the New Testament apocrypha, were seen as genuine until the Renaissance, when scholars began to critically examine them.
For 1000 years, European scholars believed these letters were real. Today, these letters are widely regarded as forged. These letters were most likely written in the 4th century to either:
- Teach Christians about Seneca, or
- Teach students of Seneca about Christianity
What is Seneca known for?
Seneca was a major philosophical figure in the Roman Empire. As a Stoic philosopher, Seneca made a lasting contribution to Stoicism. He plays a central part in Stoic philosophy and shaped a large part of Stoic understanding for later generations.
What did Seneca believe in?
Seneca studied Stoicism and considered himself a Stoic philosopher. This philosophy helped Seneca think clearly and remain productive throughout the most chaotic times of his life.
While the school of philosophy was founded in Greece, Seneca’s work is the oldest Stoic literature that still exists in large quantities today.
As a well-versed playwright, he made a large and lasting contribution to Stoic literature. In total, he wrote dozens of philosophical essays in addition to 124 letters on moral issues.
Seneca’s Writing
A great starting point for Seneca are his essays Of a Happy Life, Of the Tranquility of Mind and On the Shortness of Life. I’ve personally listened to these as audiobooks on YouTube, so I’m just including those here. Feel free to give them a listen!
Compared to his predecessors, who thought we should live primarily in accordance with human nature, Seneca put much more emphasis on following role models. This concept is that of the Stoic sage. It involves identifying good decisions based on what the ideal Stoic would do.
“Choose therefore a Cato; or, if Cato seems too severe a model, choose some Laelius, a gentler spirit. Choose a master whose life, conversation, and soul-expressing face have satisfied you; picture him always to yourself as your protector or your pattern. For we must indeed have someone according to whom we may regulate our characters; you can never straighten that which is crooked unless you use a ruler.”
Letters XI.10
When did Seneca write his letters?
As a novelist and playwright, Seneca spent nearly his entire career writing. And a large part of this was reflective of morals and happiness according to the Stoic doctrine. In fact, his evening routine revolved around this Stoic mindfulness practice.
Seneca began writing his letters around the time of his exile in 41 CE and kept writing until his death. During exile, he wrote to console his mother Helvia. She was worried for him and his reputation, but he repeatedly wrote to reassure her.
After all, exile was not the worst thing that could happen. Seneca would instead focus on things he could control and embrace everything else as fate. Amor fati.
Seneca finished one of his most famous works “Letters of a Stoic” in the year 65, months before his own death.
Independence from Stoicism
While being heavily influenced by and following the Stoic doctrine, it’s worth noting that Seneca considered himself an independent thinker.
His writings went on to cover a breadth of topics that didn’t necessarily originate from the original Athenian school. Because he spent so much time writing, Seneca may have written more than any other Stoic.
Seneca made clear that, while he followed the Stoic doctrine, he set out to follow his own path. He refused to blindly follow the work of those who came before him.
“Will I not walk in the footsteps of my predecessors? I will indeed use the ancient road — but if I find another route that is more direct and has fewer ups and downs, I will stake out that one. Those who advanced these doctrines before us are not our masters but our guides. The truth lies open to all; it has not yet been taken over. Much is left also for those yet to come.”
Letters to Lucilius
Seneca has sometimes been criticised for his lack of adhering to Stoic ideals. After all, he was wealthy and powerful, despite Stoic philosophy preaching a modest life. Seneca refuted any such claims.
He argued that many people would feel like they’d lost everything if their possessions were taken from them. As a Stoic, Seneca would only feel that these individual items were taken from him. At least, he would always have his life – at least for as long as he was alive.
How does Seneca define happiness?
Unlike most people during his time, Seneca argued that happiness is not attained through pleasures. Virtue is the path to human happiness. Seneca discussed in several letters how there is no such thing as good and evil. There is only a good and an evil mind, which every person is capable of.
A person who strives for happiness cherishes honor, accepts their fate and knows that they can spend their time creating “goodness” in life.
What does Seneca think about reading?
Seneca thought that people may use reading as a distraction. When we spend our time jumping from book to book, we find it harder to distill knowledge from any of the master authors.
When a person spends all his time in foreign travel, he ends by having many acquaintances, but no friends. And the same thing must hold true of men who seek intimate acquaintance with no single author, but visit them all in a hasty and hurried manner. Food does no good and is not assimilated into the body if it leaves the stomach as soon as it is eaten; nothing hinders a cure so much as frequent change of medicine; no wound will heal when one salve is tried after another; a plant which is often moved can never grow strong. There is nothing so efficacious that it can be helpful while it is being shifted about. And in reading of many books is distraction.
Seneca
Rather than cast a wide net with our reading, we should aim to focus our energy around the topics that will have the greatest impact on our lives. After all, consumption without creation contradicts the Stoic virtue of acquiring practical wisdom.
Each day acquire something that will fortify you against poverty, against death, indeed against other misfortunes as well; and after you have run over many thoughts, select one to be thoroughly digested that day. This is my own custom; from the many things which I have read, I claim some one part for myself.
Seneca
How did Seneca characterise the gladiator combats?
The first Gladiator Games started in Rome around 300 BCE.
Seneca argued that gladiators were “unworthy of the attention of a well reasoned man”. His opinion was that gladiator games were boring, because the outcome of every match was the same: death. And there’s no suspense to a predetermined finish.
How Did Seneca the Younger Die?
While Seneca enjoyed the perks of great wealth, he also honoured his duty to the empire.
He advised Nero to uphold moral order to the best of his ability all the way until his retirement. Towards the end of his time in office, Seneca retired. He wanted to escape the wrath of Nero, who had become increasingly vindictive and paranoid.
In the year 65, there was an assassination plot against Nero. Today we know this plot as the Pisonian Conspiracy. Though Seneca probably wasn’t involved, Nero’s new advisors were skeptical. After all, he knew everything about Nero since he’d been involved from the very beginning. They told Nero that Seneca was involved in the conspiracy.
When Nero ultimately forced Seneca to commit suicide, Seneca calmed his friends and loved ones who had come to see him in his final hour.
“Where,” he asked again and again, “are your maxims of philosophy, or the preparation of so many years’ study against evils to come? Who knew not Nero’s cruelty? After a mother’s and a brother’s murder, nothing remains but to add the destruction of a guardian and a tutor.”
Those were Seneca’s last words before being forced to commit suicide.
Seneca is widely praised for honouring the Stoic concept of death.
Lessons from Seneca
Now that we’ve reviewed the life of this great Stoic, what lessons can we take away from his work?
Keep Calm
In his essay On Anger, Seneca argues that there’s nothing more destructive than a violent emotion out of control. There’s no reasoning with someone overwhelmed with this emotion. In the most extreme examples, anger could literally result in murder.
Destructive emotions like anger, fear and jealousy are unnatural when they begin to impact our natural sociability.
Seneca recommends taking a step back and showing more toleration towards others. After all, nobody’s perfect – not us, not others.
Avoid Constant Distraction
It’s easy to spend life distracted by the wonders of modern life. In fact, consumer culture seems to tell us that the world is our oyster. No matter what we might be missing, we can order it online with a click of a button.
Happiness, confidence, love – these are all concepts that marketers sell for a profit. Even entertainment has become a billion dollar business. That’s why YouTube exists. Being distracted seems to be a common occurrence, and this isn’t a recent event either.
According to Seneca, the Roman people also distracted themselves. Ultimately, we’ll be better off if we can sit alone with our thoughts for a few minutes every day. Take time to reflect and find your inner voice to understand what truly matters.
Prioritise Leisure
Seneca recommended that we use part of our free time for “leisure”. He used this term to refer to silence – a time to do nothing but reflect on the here and now. Today we might refer to this activity as mindfulness practice.
We can use this time to journal, reflect and ponder our place in the universe. Understanding how we relate to others and why we choose specific goals will also bring more meaning to our lives.
Live Modestly
Seneca argued that most people spent their lives chasing wealth. Rather than settling for what they already have (which is usually enough for survival), many people strive to be “rich and famous”.
Rather than enjoying life for what it is, it’s too easy to get stuck in the rat race mentality. That’s why we should have hobbies that are cheap (or even free) for example writing, painting, crafting jokes.
Life should be more about building ourselves than showing off to others.
Learn from Challenges
It’s too common a response when something happens to categorise it as “bad”. Challenges are usually only setbacks in the short term. In the longer term, they offer a wealth of experience.
Rather than thinking life should be easy, we must realise that we will never become the best version of ourselves without challenge.
For example, do you think that we’d still know Hercules’s name today if he sat on his sofa drinking beer all day? Of course not! We remember Hercules for battling monsters and other creatures. These battles ultimately made him into the Hercules that is worthy of films and sagas.
Marcus Aurelius had a similar take, when he wrote “the impediment to action advances action”. The Obstacle is the Way.
Don’t be too ambitious
Because we all face setbacks once in a while, it’s important to not be too ambitious. We shouldn’t place all our value on being able to progress in life.
As someone who advised the most powerful person in the world, Seneca offers advice on the value of ambition. Again, material wealth should not be our goal.
We should use our time for leisure and reflection, and not allow our ambition to dominate our lives.
Find a Meaningful Activity
In his final piece of advice, Seneca recommended that people find a meaningful activity. He argued that too many people spend their lives without a specific aim. That can result in an incoherent stream of activities in a person’s life.
Instead, Seneca recommends that we find a pursuit that makes sense to spend our limited time on this Earth. For Seneca, a large part of this involved writing and philosophy. With a clear direction, we’ll have something to show for our time on Earth. In Seneca’s case, we’re still reading his work 2000 years later.
What Fools These Mortals Be
Before we wrap up this post, I also wanted to include one more piece of advice from Seneca. If you’ve ever felt that life is short, this one’s for you!
Therefore, Lucilius, do as you write me that you are doing: hold every hour in your grasp. Lay hold of to-day’s task, and you will not need to depend so much upon to-morrow’s. While we are postponing, life speeds by. Nothing, Lucilius, is ours, except time. We were entrusted by nature with the ownership of this single thing, so fleeting and slippery that anyone who will can oust us from possession. What fools these mortals be! They allow the cheapest and most useless things, which can easily be replaced, to be charged in the reckoning, after they have acquired them; but they never regard themselves as in debt when they have received some of that precious commodity,—time! And yet time is the one loan which even a grateful recipient cannot repay.
While life is usually quite long, it does not last forever. That’s why we need to make every day count.
“We are not given a short life but we make it short, and we are not ill-supplied but wasteful of it.” — Seneca
Seneca in a Nutshell
Seneca was an interesting character in the Stoic realm. His work has survives until today because he was such a prolific character in the Roman Empire.
As a playwright and a statesman, Seneca applied Stoicism to his everyday life. He wrote regularly and tried to apply Stoic philosophy to everyday moral situations. He also used philosophy to counsel Nero on the best way to rule the Empire.
Because his work has lasted until day, we can continue to learn new lessons from one of the wisest Stoics of all time. We can find inspiration in his work to learn to keep calm, avoid distraction, prioritise leisure along with a host of other life lessons.
In the end, Seneca demonstrated the value of living a Stoic life – all the way to his forced suicide in the year 65.
Learn practical Stoicism with Seneca and Mind & Practice today.