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Treatises on Providence, on Tranquillity of Mind, on Shortness of Life, on Happy Life; Together with Select Epistles, Epigrammata, an Introduction
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.
86 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 63
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About the author
Seneca
2,709 books3,882 followersLucius Annaeus Seneca (often known simply as Seneca or Seneca the Younger); ca. 4 BC – 65 AD) was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, and dramatist of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero, who later forced him to commit suicide for alleged complicity in the Pisonian conspiracy to have him assassinated.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 5, 2013
I got "On a Happy life" on my kindle, and I enjoyed it. Seneca is a pretty good writer, I found myself highlighting a lot. One of the main points of the book is that one should value virtue over pleasure. Pleasures may come along with virtue, but pleasure is not to be an end. There also plenty containing to contentment. Seneca believed we should be content whether in plenty or in lack (and it does seem he lived this out later in his life, once stripped of his wealth and sent to an island to die). Lots of Seneca's writing sounds quite a lot like Jesus and Paul, of course Seneca goes into more detail, but some of the same principles are there.
The last half of the book Seneca is defending himself, he must have got a lot of criticism due to being a stoic and yet... rich. All in all I like how he thinks and his style of argument. One thing of special interest to me was when he was respond to the accusation that he doesn't live what preached. His main response was that he was presenting the ideal virtuous life, and just because he fails to live up, doesn't discredit the ideal. Think for example, if we struggle hitting the bullseye, the solution isn't to remove the target, so the arrows run a muck. If the target is there, even in failing, we're getting closer to our goal, then if we didn't know the ideal.
The last half of the book Seneca is defending himself, he must have got a lot of criticism due to being a stoic and yet... rich. All in all I like how he thinks and his style of argument. One thing of special interest to me was when he was respond to the accusation that he doesn't live what preached. His main response was that he was presenting the ideal virtuous life, and just because he fails to live up, doesn't discredit the ideal. Think for example, if we struggle hitting the bullseye, the solution isn't to remove the target, so the arrows run a muck. If the target is there, even in failing, we're getting closer to our goal, then if we didn't know the ideal.
March 29, 2015
seneca never stops to impress.
- Often a very old man has no other proof of his long life than his age.
- Devote time to people who appreciate it
- Private possessions, the greatest source of human misery.
- The ideal amount of money is that which neither falls within the range of poverty nor far exceeds it.
- You have to get used to your circumstances, complain about them as little as possible, and grasp whatever advantage they have to offer: no condition is so bitter that a stable mind cannot find some consolation in it.
- In any case the mind must be recalled from external objects into itself: it must trust in itself, rejoice in itself, admire its own things; it must withdraw as much as possible from the affairs of others and devote its attention to itself; it must not feel losses and should take a kindly view even of misfortunes.
- The mind should not be kept continuously at the same pitch of concentration, but given amusing diversions.
- Often a very old man has no other proof of his long life than his age.
- Devote time to people who appreciate it
- Private possessions, the greatest source of human misery.
- The ideal amount of money is that which neither falls within the range of poverty nor far exceeds it.
- You have to get used to your circumstances, complain about them as little as possible, and grasp whatever advantage they have to offer: no condition is so bitter that a stable mind cannot find some consolation in it.
- In any case the mind must be recalled from external objects into itself: it must trust in itself, rejoice in itself, admire its own things; it must withdraw as much as possible from the affairs of others and devote its attention to itself; it must not feel losses and should take a kindly view even of misfortunes.
- The mind should not be kept continuously at the same pitch of concentration, but given amusing diversions.
March 20, 2021
Seneca's "On Providence" is one of the noblest and most courageous discourses I have ever read,
it is multi-layered and nuanced. It is like a type of Psychic Medication, it praises those who have survived tragedies, disasters, and obstacles bravely:
"Now warriors glory in their wounds and delight to see the blood flowing beneath their gash"
"The man who raises himself to meet raging misfortunes, and overcomes evils by which others are crushed, wears his very disasters as a halo"
"The recruit pales at the thought of a wound, but the veteran can look on his wound with composure,
for he knows he has often endured blood flowing to win the victory"
"It is virtue that elevates a man, and raises him High above what mortals hold dear "
Farewell
it is multi-layered and nuanced. It is like a type of Psychic Medication, it praises those who have survived tragedies, disasters, and obstacles bravely:
"Now warriors glory in their wounds and delight to see the blood flowing beneath their gash"
"The man who raises himself to meet raging misfortunes, and overcomes evils by which others are crushed, wears his very disasters as a halo"
"The recruit pales at the thought of a wound, but the veteran can look on his wound with composure,
for he knows he has often endured blood flowing to win the victory"
"It is virtue that elevates a man, and raises him High above what mortals hold dear "
Farewell
February 8, 2012
Forget Prozac and just read this. Self-help books could take a leaf out of it! Especially "On Tranquility of Mind."
July 20, 2014
Twothousand years old - and still valid.
September 26, 2013
Wow... I stumbled upon Seneca via Nassim Nicholas Taleb and I'm overwhelmed. I read a few pages every night in my bed and ended up deeply thinking about my own everyday-behaviour.
June 23, 2021
It is a commonly asked question: if there is providence (the protection by a divine being), why do good men suffer? In this essay, Seneca takes the time to satisfy Lucilius’ inquiry of this exact question. He answers it from a divine perspective.
Seneca continues to elaborate this last point, and explains that the indulgence of the pleasures and desires only constitute a weakness of character and self-control, and surely it is not a show of love to encourage these things. One who indulges his pleasures is unable to face any kind of trial which assails him, and will not willingly bear or counter any kind of attack. The just stoic, on the other hand, stands before his attacker and fears not the loss of anything he has, since it belongs to God anyway. God wants the good man to have great virtue, and this goal is only met through struggle.
When one has become good through trials and hardships, absolutely nothing can faze him, be it loss, suffering, or death. Just as Socrates drank the poison of his death penalty with cheer and happiness, the good man can face any trial in a like way. In short, what matters is not what happens to a person, but how a person handles what happens to him, because ultimately, it is not the way a man feels that constitutes goodness, but the man himself. Seneca makes it clear that evils and goods are seen wrongly, for they usually are seen in correlation to pleasure. In reality, the pleasures which seem good are the evils, for they neglect the soul, and slowly rot it away; it becomes softened and inferior, useless and selfish.
Victory, he says, is not won by simply being at the top, but rather in overcoming all of the toil that one is faced with. If one wins without something antagonizing him, there is no proof of his actual ability and no measure of his virtue, making his win meaningless. What this is is merely good fortune. Seneca describes good Fortune as one who comes upon those with inferior talent and ability; it is those who need her help. Good fortune is the true evil, as she allows one to be idle in his body, mind, and soul, and engage in useless things which have no benefit. Fortune herself oppresses those who are able to endure her, and remain tranquil in all of the agony that she brings.
Seneca begins to wrap up this essay with a word about Fate. Part of being good and virtuous has to do with giving yourself up to Fate, and letting yourself be swept into the order of the universe, for there is order, and it is true to our nature to follow it. The most one can do in his lifetime is let Nature take him however she pleases, and bear her justly and calmly. Whatever is taken from us is simply returned to God.
Seneca concludes by saying that God does not let bad things happen to good people, but rather he arms them against vice and evil, making him invincible to whatever forces assail him, preparing him for good work. This is the way that truth is met face to face, rather than the delusion that those favored by good fortune know. When one says “bad things” he does not realize that these bad things ultimately result in the good of the man, and niceties cripple him.
The entirety of this essay is the answer to one question, and that is: If there is providence, why do bad things happen to good men? First, it is assumed that “bad things” is referring to tribulation, pain, suffering, and loss. “Good men,” likely meaning those loved by God. Next, a proposition is formed, using the analogy of a father. If God is a good father, and all good fathers are disciplinarians, then it follows that God is a disciplinarian. A good father would be defined as one who fathers his children to have the best outcome; to be just and strong. Now, discipline is by its nature unpleasant, but it leads to the outcome which a good father strives for. If tribulation is the divine discipline, then it has a like outcome. The purpose of discipline is to better the whole self or being. Therefore, bad things happen to good men, because it betters their beings as a whole, i.e., it hardens them, and builds virtue in their souls. As far as the soundness of this reasoning is concerned, I see no flaw in its truthfulness. Simply by observing the world, one can easily see that excellence is achieved by discipline, and hardiness is only made by experiences which force one to harden. One could argue that suffering just cuts one down and weakens him, and in order to build one up you must tell him that he is great, and strong. Seneca did briefly mention that one is not a victor if his victory is given to him, and I would agree. In order for one to be strong, there has to be something which he had strength over. Also, that is another purpose of tribulations. Just being the victim of them does not make one strong, but rather, enduring them, and facing them courageously.
Next, there is the discussion about what “good things” are, or “good fortune.” Seneca reasons like so: If good things are constituted by good fortune and pleasure, and pleasure is the pleasing of the desires, then good things are the pleasing of desires. If this is so, and the pleasing of the desires means enslavement to them, then pleasure is equal to enslavement (to the desires). If the enslavement to the desires constitutes weakness and inferiority, then this contradicts ultimate good, i.e., the betterment of the whole being or self. I would say that this is truthful, for constant pleasure makes one accustomed to being pleased, making it impossible for one to be able to face any kind of loss or suffering.
That being said, if the result of pleasure is inferiority, then pleasure and its fruit cannot be good. On the other hand, tribulation results in excellence, virtue, and hardiness, which are things that are inarguably good. This leads to Seneca’s conclusion, and that is that the question was flawed to begin with, for God most certainly does not let bad things happen to good people, bad things being those which do not better the whole self. This whole argument is valid, for the conclusion follows logically from the premises, and all of the terms are clearly defined. It is sound, because the propositions are truthful, leading to a truthful conclusion. I, so far, can think of no exceptions to the propositions stated in the essay, meaning that they are distributed as principles, not dependent on circumstance.
"Now warriors glory in their wounds and delight to see the blood flowing beneath their gash"
"The man who raises himself to meet raging misfortunes, and overcomes evils by which others are crushed, wears his very disasters as a halo"
"The recruit pales at the thought of a wound, but the veteran can look on his wound with composure, for he knows he has often endured blood flowing to win the victory"
"It is virtue that elevates a man, and raises him High above what mortals hold dear "
Seneca continues to elaborate this last point, and explains that the indulgence of the pleasures and desires only constitute a weakness of character and self-control, and surely it is not a show of love to encourage these things. One who indulges his pleasures is unable to face any kind of trial which assails him, and will not willingly bear or counter any kind of attack. The just stoic, on the other hand, stands before his attacker and fears not the loss of anything he has, since it belongs to God anyway. God wants the good man to have great virtue, and this goal is only met through struggle.
When one has become good through trials and hardships, absolutely nothing can faze him, be it loss, suffering, or death. Just as Socrates drank the poison of his death penalty with cheer and happiness, the good man can face any trial in a like way. In short, what matters is not what happens to a person, but how a person handles what happens to him, because ultimately, it is not the way a man feels that constitutes goodness, but the man himself. Seneca makes it clear that evils and goods are seen wrongly, for they usually are seen in correlation to pleasure. In reality, the pleasures which seem good are the evils, for they neglect the soul, and slowly rot it away; it becomes softened and inferior, useless and selfish.
Victory, he says, is not won by simply being at the top, but rather in overcoming all of the toil that one is faced with. If one wins without something antagonizing him, there is no proof of his actual ability and no measure of his virtue, making his win meaningless. What this is is merely good fortune. Seneca describes good Fortune as one who comes upon those with inferior talent and ability; it is those who need her help. Good fortune is the true evil, as she allows one to be idle in his body, mind, and soul, and engage in useless things which have no benefit. Fortune herself oppresses those who are able to endure her, and remain tranquil in all of the agony that she brings.
Seneca begins to wrap up this essay with a word about Fate. Part of being good and virtuous has to do with giving yourself up to Fate, and letting yourself be swept into the order of the universe, for there is order, and it is true to our nature to follow it. The most one can do in his lifetime is let Nature take him however she pleases, and bear her justly and calmly. Whatever is taken from us is simply returned to God.
Seneca concludes by saying that God does not let bad things happen to good people, but rather he arms them against vice and evil, making him invincible to whatever forces assail him, preparing him for good work. This is the way that truth is met face to face, rather than the delusion that those favored by good fortune know. When one says “bad things” he does not realize that these bad things ultimately result in the good of the man, and niceties cripple him.
The entirety of this essay is the answer to one question, and that is: If there is providence, why do bad things happen to good men? First, it is assumed that “bad things” is referring to tribulation, pain, suffering, and loss. “Good men,” likely meaning those loved by God. Next, a proposition is formed, using the analogy of a father. If God is a good father, and all good fathers are disciplinarians, then it follows that God is a disciplinarian. A good father would be defined as one who fathers his children to have the best outcome; to be just and strong. Now, discipline is by its nature unpleasant, but it leads to the outcome which a good father strives for. If tribulation is the divine discipline, then it has a like outcome. The purpose of discipline is to better the whole self or being. Therefore, bad things happen to good men, because it betters their beings as a whole, i.e., it hardens them, and builds virtue in their souls. As far as the soundness of this reasoning is concerned, I see no flaw in its truthfulness. Simply by observing the world, one can easily see that excellence is achieved by discipline, and hardiness is only made by experiences which force one to harden. One could argue that suffering just cuts one down and weakens him, and in order to build one up you must tell him that he is great, and strong. Seneca did briefly mention that one is not a victor if his victory is given to him, and I would agree. In order for one to be strong, there has to be something which he had strength over. Also, that is another purpose of tribulations. Just being the victim of them does not make one strong, but rather, enduring them, and facing them courageously.
Next, there is the discussion about what “good things” are, or “good fortune.” Seneca reasons like so: If good things are constituted by good fortune and pleasure, and pleasure is the pleasing of the desires, then good things are the pleasing of desires. If this is so, and the pleasing of the desires means enslavement to them, then pleasure is equal to enslavement (to the desires). If the enslavement to the desires constitutes weakness and inferiority, then this contradicts ultimate good, i.e., the betterment of the whole being or self. I would say that this is truthful, for constant pleasure makes one accustomed to being pleased, making it impossible for one to be able to face any kind of loss or suffering.
That being said, if the result of pleasure is inferiority, then pleasure and its fruit cannot be good. On the other hand, tribulation results in excellence, virtue, and hardiness, which are things that are inarguably good. This leads to Seneca’s conclusion, and that is that the question was flawed to begin with, for God most certainly does not let bad things happen to good people, bad things being those which do not better the whole self. This whole argument is valid, for the conclusion follows logically from the premises, and all of the terms are clearly defined. It is sound, because the propositions are truthful, leading to a truthful conclusion. I, so far, can think of no exceptions to the propositions stated in the essay, meaning that they are distributed as principles, not dependent on circumstance.
"Now warriors glory in their wounds and delight to see the blood flowing beneath their gash"
"The man who raises himself to meet raging misfortunes, and overcomes evils by which others are crushed, wears his very disasters as a halo"
"The recruit pales at the thought of a wound, but the veteran can look on his wound with composure, for he knows he has often endured blood flowing to win the victory"
"It is virtue that elevates a man, and raises him High above what mortals hold dear "
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews