Seneca
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"I know the same day made me free, which was the last day for him who made the proverb true-One must be born either a Pharaoh or a fool".Best known as a philosopher and tragedian, in Apocolocyntosis Seneca also produced one of classical literature's greatest satires. Depicting a posthumous trial in which the recently deceased Emperor Claudius makes the case for his elevation to the company of the gods, this short work brilliantly skewers the pretensions...
2) On Benefits
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The original Latin name of this important essay by Seneca, written around 60 CE, was De Beneficiis, which is why it is generally translated as 'On Benefits'. However, it is more usefully titled 'On Favours', because this is what it is essentially about: the giving and receiving of favours, with all the implications of such transactions. Seneca is concerned with demonstrating that while such exchanges can be straightforward and beneficial to both parties,...
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These three 'Consolations', written by Seneca to his mother and two friends, have been described as 'the crowning achievement in the canon of 'consolation letters'. But sentimental they are not, for they emerge from the writer's deep-seated commitment to Stoicism, where individuals are exhorted to inhabit qualities of virtue, positivity, resilience, and indifference. This recording opens with Seneca's consolatory letter to Marcia, who, after three...
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Towards the end of his life, Seneca the Younger (c4 BCE-65 CE) began a correspondence with a friend in Sicily, later collected under the title The Moral Epistles.
In these 124 letters, Seneca expresses, in a wise, steady and calm manner, the philosophy by which he lived - derived essentially from the Stoics. The letters deal with a variety of specific topics - often eminently practical - such as 'On Saving Time', 'On the Terrors of Death', 'On True...
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As former tutor and adviser to Emperor Nero, philosopher and statesman Seneca was acutely aware of how short life can be - his own life was cut short when the emperor ordered him to commit suicide (for alleged involvement in a conspiracy). And Seneca proved true to his words - his lifelong avowal to Stoicism enabled him to conduct himself with dignity to the end.
During his rich and busy life, Seneca wrote a series of essays that have advised and...
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On Anger' is one of Seneca's most important essays. At some length he investigates the nature of anger: how and why it emerges, the effect it has on the individual and those to whom it is directed, and how to manage it and prevent it even from arising. For, Seneca considers, anger simply serves no purpose - it does not bring courage in war, prevent others misbehaving or punish miscreants. In short it has a negative effect on all.
In 'On Leisure'...
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The philosophy of stoicism advocated living a virtuous life in harmony with nature, with the goal of achieving happiness. Although stoicism flourished in the third century bce, the core values of its philosophy-to live and behave ethically in accordance with rules of the natural order-are still relevant today.
This omnibus anthology includes a selection of works by three of the greatest Stoic philosophers:
• The complete Meditations of the Roman...
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En su antigua condición de tutor y consejero del emperador Nerón, el filósofo y hombre de Estado Séneca era tremendamente consciente de la brevedad de la vida, la suya propia se vio truncada cuando el emperador le ordenó que se suicidara, por su presunta implicación en una conspiración. Y Séneca demostró ser consecuente con lo que predicaba, y el compromiso a lo largo de toda su vida con el estoicismo le permitió conducirse con dignidad...