Seneca’s Letters from a Stoic, explained

Amongst all Stoic philosophers, Seneca has attained the widest reach and popularity. The reason is not hard to figure out. He simply wrote more and better than all others put together. #seneca devoted more than two decades of his life to writing. At the beginning, he wrote plays for the theatre, tragedies, that don’t deserve much consideration. They are boring and bloody, as well as unimaginative. In his forties, Seneca turned to writing essays, but following the literary conventions of this time. He conceived his writings as essays, but composed them in some parts as dialogues, where participants defend different views. He was imitating the pattern #plato had initiated with his #philosophy dialogues. Nonetheless, Seneca’s greatest literary achievement consists of a collection of letters called “Letters to Lucilius,” a friend of his. Seneca was in his fifties and early sixties when he wrote those letters. They sum up the #wisdom of a lifetime. In the Letters to Lucilius (or Letters from a Stoic), Seneca is presenting the principles of #stoicism . He is expanding the ideas of Cleanthes (330-230 BC), Zeno of Citium (334-262 BC) and Chrysippus (279-206 BC), the founders of Stoic philosophy. Seneca wrote more than one hundred Letters to Lucilius, but they all revolve around two main themes. The Letters are addressing these two themes from different angles: One, we should not blow our troubles out of proportion. It’s better to keep a cool head in times of adversity, and keep panic at bay. Two, we can improve our own lives, but it takes lots of effort and dedication. I regard the 63rd Letter to Lucilius as a masterpiece in clarity and conciseness. Seneca accepts that negative emotions such as grief are natural, but at the same time, he encourages readers to keep their emotions in check. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/senecas-letters-from-a-stoic-explained/