John Vespasian

#philosophy becomes more convincing when it’s subjected to the test of extreme adversity. In order to gain wide acceptance, theoretical discussions need to be validated by experience, preferably on multiple occasions. #seneca came up with a compelling recipe for achieving #peaceofmind in times of turmoil; he told his readers to accept the inevitable, and deploy steady efforts to ameliorate the factors that can be influenced. The problem, of course, lies in the difficulty of correctly categorizing problems as solvable or unassailable. Seneca, like many people nowadays, erred on the side of defeatism. He was too willing to rate problems as unassailable, and too weak in his efforts to find workable solutions. Seneca’s philosophical framework leads to praising people who, due to irresistible threats, must go into exile and build a new life from scratch. The praise is well deserved, especially if we consider the severe inconveniences of exile in antiquity. The remarkable adaptability of #anaxagoras (500-428 BC) and of Seneca himself, during his long exile in Corsica, earned my admiration. However, their misadventures may not impress many people in our century, where emigration has become the common lot of vast numbers of people. In his 68th Letter to Lucilius, Seneca defines peace of mind as an achievement independent of external circumstances. The philosophical individual, says Seneca, carries #tranquillity in his own soul. He does not need to draw it from the tangible world. Let us see now how Seneca’s philosophy fares when faced with appalling circumstances. The life of Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463-1494) presents the ideal testing ground. On the one hand, Pico was well acquainted with Seneca’s works and with ancient #stoicism in general. On the other hand, Pico endured extreme adversity in his life. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/seneca-tranquillity-in-extreme-situations/

Since the mid-twentieth century, many philosophers are not employing the term “happiness” any more in their goal setting. They do no longer preach that happiness is the goal of human life because, I guess, they find it unattainable. Instead of happiness, they are employing the term “the good life” as something that #philosophy can reasonably deliver. The goal has become modest and inconspicuous, and even then, the promises of philosophers are subject to numerous disclaimers. This modern philosophical trend has also reshaped the past. Even the works of #seneca have been affected by the renunciation to happiness in our culture. Words like “joy,” “delight” or “happiness” are seldom found in modern translations of ancient works. Instead, we are told to pursue “the good life,” give up our ambitions, and just content ourselves with Stoic bromides. Seneca would have been appalled at the blanket, pointless, unjustified renunciation of happiness; he had indeed developed a sophisticated philosophy to help people cope with adversity, but he never called for humanity to renounce happiness. I am also convinced that Seneca wouldn’t have endorsed the elimination of the idea of “happiness” from public conscience. He had a clear idea of what “the good life” means, but viewed it as a path to happiness, not as its replacement. In his 24th Letter to Lucilius, Seneca defined “the good life” as a lifestyle determined by reason, not by social expectations, prejudice and fear. Seneca’s rationale is straightforward: if we guide our life by reason, we’ll make better decisions and enjoy the ensuing rewards. Seneca developed this principle in an essay titled “On the Happy Life,” which he authored partly during his exile in Corsica. He argued extensively the following three points, which constitute the essence of his #moral advice. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/seneca-on-how-to-live-a-good-life/

In the search for #happiness , it is as important to do the right thing as it is to avoid dire mistakes. #seneca put together a list of mistakes to avoid, and warned us against our natural tendency to look for shortcuts. When it comes to #virtue , character and happiness, I am afraid that every inch of progress needs to be earned. Every millimetre of ground needs to be conquered. There is no way to magically jump forward and avoid the required effort. Let us review the list of mistakes compiled by Seneca in his essays and in his Letters to Lucilius. I regard them as “myths about the good life” because people who make those mistakes actually believe that they are making great choices. Many people subscribe to the myth that virtue and reason are not worth it, and that it is pointless to invest in the future, because life is too short. Seneca attacked this myth in his essay “On the Brevity of Life.” Seneca condemns people who perform evil, reckless actions and then rationalize those by pointing at the brevity of life. In a life well lived, countered Seneca, there is enough time to do the right thing, provided that we avoid evil, foolish activities. We should spend our time, says Seneca, as judiciously as we spend our money. To illustrate his recommendation, Seneca refers to Emperor #augustus (63 BC-14 AD). Augustus’ achievements, affirmed Seneca, could have been greater if he had not wasted large amounts of time on trivial matters. Augustus could have delegated those to his assistants, but he insisted on handling them himself. Overcommitment is incompatible with the good life, argued Seneca, because it will distract our attention and consume time that we should have devoted to pursuing crucial goals. Unfortunately, overcommitment feels great at the beginning because it flatters our vanity. It makes us feel indispensable or superior. It creates the delusion that the world revolves around us and that we are capable of handling conflicting #priorities . Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/seneca-myths-about-the-good-life/

In ancient Greece and Rome, philosophy was conceived as a practical science; the purposes of philosophical learning were clearly defined: success, joy and happiness. #aristotle (384-322 BC) wrote his “Eudemian Ethics” and “Nicomachean Ethics” with the stated goal of helping his students achieve happiness. #seneca was not an exception in this regard. A prolific writer, he devoted the great majority of his essays and letters to dispensing advice about happiness. His #insights are based on human nature and, for this reason, are still applicable in our century. How does one put Seneca’s advice into practice? Which step should we take first, and how can we stay on the right path? In today’s circumstances, can we still practise Seneca’s ideas and achieve happiness? In contrast to Seneca’s contemporaries, we can benefit from more than twenty centuries of experience. People have studied and practised Seneca’s ideas in good and bad times. Let us take a look at the key lessons provided by history. Seneca’s most important principle is present in the record of every practitioner of #stoicism . I am referring to the principle that our #happiness and success depend on the alignment of our actions with nature, which Seneca equated with reason. We can trace this principle in all of Seneca’s works, but I am going to point specifically to his 119th Letter to Lucilius. I view the 119th Letter as the foremost exponent of this principle due to its emphasis on consistency. Seneca underlines that, if we want to enjoy the full benefits of philosophy, we should align our actions with nature, day in and day out. In particular, we should not stop practising virtue during good times, when it seems that nothing could go wrong. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/seneca-putting-the-good-life-into-practice

Conflict is the one of main sources of preoccupations in life. Interpersonal conflicts tend to generate higher anxiety than natural disasters. Most people find daily quarrels with their spouses more nerve-wrecking than one-in-a-lifetime damages inflicted by a volcano. In his 78th Letter to Lucilius, #seneca studied negative emotions and provided useful recommendations. The validation of those strategies relies on historical anecdotes and Seneca’s own experience. Seneca concentrated on how to deal with negative criticism, which he viewed as a frequent cause of interpersonal conflict, but his recommendations also apply to combating other types of preoccupations. The key recipe given by Seneca is that, when confronted with negative criticism, we should emulate #socrates (469-399 BC), remain calm, ignore the insults and draw useful lessons if possible. Seneca is referring to an occasion when, in ancient Athens, Socrates was walking in the marketplace. He was surrounded by hundreds of people and many of them knew him personally. At that point, a man came up to Socrates and began to insult him vociferously. People around them stood still and looked at Socrates, wondering how he was going to react. Seneca recounts in his essay “On the #constancy of the Wise” that, against all expectations, Socrates did not react with rage. He remained calm because he was reflecting on whether he should feel affected by the event or not. That’s the essence of Seneca’s formula: think first and react later, once you have assessed the consequences; keeping a cool head can bring you inestimable advantages in life. When things fall apart and everybody is panicking, you will make better decisions if you stay calm. If you are being sternly criticised, it pays to postpone your reaction. Keep quiet, do not undertake any action until you have thought things through. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/seneca-on-dealing-with-negative-criticism/

It is easy to dispense advice in retrospect and tell people what they should have done. It is far more difficult to make the right decisions in real time, while being bitterly criticised and publicly attacked. Psychological pressure is hard to resist, especially when it is coming at us from all directions. #seneca knew that, in the absence of a solid #philosophy , individuals tend to break down under pressure and commit one error after another. How do we preserve our #effectiveness in the face of severe criticism? How can we deflect insults and aggression, and stay perfectly calm? What insights had Seneca gained in this area? In his 98th Letter to Lucilius, Seneca described his strategy for remaining effective during setbacks, interpersonal conflict, and disasters of all kinds. I call it a “strategy” and not a “hack” because it requires assiduous, constant implementation. Seneca’s preferred approach consists of adopting a resilient lifestyle in all areas of life. I mean in the areas of relationships, nutrition, exercise, work, personal finances, and even hobbies. The strategy recommended by Seneca in the 98th Letter to Lucilius encompasses everything we do, every interaction with other people, every expenditure we make, and our plans for the future. Truth be told, Seneca did not find many historical examples to illustrate his strategy. He mentioned Sextius Niger, a Roman philosopher he had personally met, but Seneca’s description of Sextius’ lifestyle is rather sketchy. Thus, I’m reluctant to regard this example as a paragon of virtue. I find it more convincing when Seneca’s philosophy is put to the test in a real-life situation of which all details are known. For example, in the lifestyle of #davidhume (1711-1734), one of the foremost philosophers of the Scottish #enlightenment . Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/seneca-effectiveness-in-the-face-of-criticism/

When a philosopher spends his life telling others what to do, it’s fair to ask if his own life has been a success. In the case of Seneca, the fact that he committed suicide at sixty-nine makes it hard to categorize his life as success. Emperor Nero had decided Seneca’s execution, but giving him first the order to commit suicide. If Seneca had refused, a Roman soldier would have killed him right away, decapitated him, and taken his head to Rome. In the Roman Empire, it wasn’t considered a sign of cruelty to decapitate the victim. It was the normal procedure to prove to the Roman Emperor that his orders had been carried out. Seneca knew what awaited him if he refused to kill himself. Very wisely, he committed suicide in front of witnesses, so that decapitation would become unnecessary. The witnesses would constitute sufficient proof of Seneca’s death. Despite the glorification of Seneca’s suicide by practitioners of Stoicism, I can only view it as gruesome and pointless. The mistakes made by Seneca in the prior years were dragging him down into the gutter. His suicide was a sign of total defeat, not a philosophical victory. If Seneca had been an external observer, he would have regarded the last decade of his life as a cumulation of dire mistakes. I am sure that he would have quoted extensively from his Letters to Lucilius and from his essay “On the Constancy of the Wise.” Seneca was a great philosopher and his ending turned into a tragedy of the first magnitude. The people who had witnessed his suicide were familiar with his doctrines, especially with his call for moral consistency. In his 69th Letter to Lucilius, Seneca condemned individuals who say one thing, but then do something else. He demanded a constant, assiduous implementation of Stoic philosophy. Virtue is to be practised all the time, so that it can deliver its benefits. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/practical-lessons-from-senecas-life-part-4/

It frequently happens that individuals will criticise someone else’s mistakes more readily than they will admit their own. We all find our own psychological defences hard to overcome and #seneca was the paramount example. When he became tutor to Nero, the future Roman Emperor, it didn’t take long for Seneca to realize that Nero was a psycho. In his mid-teens, Nero was already displaying alarming cruelty and paranoia. The encroaching #danger was written on the wall. Seneca possessed sufficient experience and psychological savvy to figure out that, considering the structure of the Roman political system, Nero’s character flaws were incurable. Neither Nero’s mother, Empress Agrippina, nor any court officer, dared to challenge Nero. In normal circumstances, bad experiences will help tame the wildness of teenagers. Through trial and error, teenagers learn that one must think before jumping, and that aggressiveness is an obstacle to cooperation. Nero never went through those experiences because he was isolated by his institutional role; he wasn’t the Roman Emperor yet, but people feared him all the same. Officers and servants obeyed Nero’s orders without asking any questions, even if they could have checked with Empress Agrippina. They feared that, if they angered Nero, his revenge would be swift and lethal. Seneca made a large mistake at that point. The principles of #stoicism call for accepting the inevitable, but it’s crucial to tell apart the inevitable from the inconvenient or unpleasant. The longer Seneca stayed on his job, the more entangled he became in the power machinery. Empress Agrippina entrusted him with managing part of the imperial estate, a delegation that allowed Seneca to enrich himself legally. Seneca did so with alacrity, but should have known that the story was likely to end badly. As Nero got closer to ascending the throne, his abuses and cruelty grew exponentially. On some occasions, he required Seneca to collaborate. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/philosophical-lessons-from-senecas-life-part-3/

Due to the edict issued by Emperor Claudius, #seneca spent eight years in exile in Corsica. His property, family and friends had remained in Rome. Since the imperial edict had not specified the length of the exile, Seneca believed that he would have to stay in Corsica for the rest of his life. When Seneca first set foot on Corsica, he was only forty-five years old, far too young to give up all hope. Nevertheless, he had witnessed how exile had gone for other people. None of them had been pardoned; none of them had ever returned to Rome. Fortunately, Seneca had already become a solid philosopher, one that would not lose countenance due to setbacks, no matter how severe or painful those would be. Before the imperial edict sending him to exile, Seneca had become an expert on Stoic philosophy. He knew the #principles in detail and had discussed them extensively with his friends. It had never occurred to him, however, that he would be facing such a terrible situation himself, a situation that had arisen out of the blue. Seneca faced his exile on Corsica by employing exactly the same principle that has served him well a decade earlier during his period of severe illness; as a Stoic, he committed himself to making the best of each day; and as a pragmatic, he figured out how to render his exile as pleasant as possible. From the 76th Letter to Lucilius, I realize that Seneca must have ended up viewing his exile as an opportunity to deepen his #wisdom . Also in his essay “On Providence,” he described misfortunes as chances to practise virtue and gain wisdom. Seneca’s resolve to reframe his exile as an opportunity was remarkable, and illustrates #stoicism at its best. Instead of falling prey to depression, Seneca kept a cool head, stayed productive, and made his lifestyle as comfortable as possible. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/philosophical-lessons-from-senecas-life-part-2/

When analysing the insights of great philosophers, I love to look at their biographies and see the practical implications. Do their biographies reflect the benefits of their insights? Did their choices prove particularly perceptive and clever? #seneca (4 BC-65 AD) passed the biography test with flight colours. His choices mirrored his philosophy and all his friends admired his #inspiring , reflective personality. I view as a minor issue that some of Seneca’s actions do not match his philosophical ideals. The #contradictions occurred at an early stage in his career as a philosopher; eventually, Seneca came to his senses and amended his errors. Seneca was born into a wealthy, prominent family in one of the largest provinces of the Roman Empire: Hispania. At that point, the governance of #rome was evolving from a republic into an empire, but Hispania was far away from the central seat of power. Not only was Seneca born into wealth, but also into culture. His father was highly educated and deployed his best efforts to develop Seneca’s skills. Early in life, Seneca was sent to Rome to take lessons from rhetoricians, philosophers and lawyers. Indeed, Seneca enjoyed an excellent education and lived an easy life in his youth, but one should not conclude that those factors predestined him for greatness. I contest the assumption that Seneca would become great just because he had been dealt all the cards. For what concerns his privileged education, Seneca was far from unique. In the early Roman Empire, there were several hundred wealthy, influential families that could afford the best education for their children. Hispania was an important province, but the Roman Empire was immense. Senators and procurators governed provinces in today’s Greece, Turkey, Syria, Egypt, France, Romania and the Mediterranean islands. My list of territories is not exhaustive. I just want to convey that wealthy Roman families numbered at least a few hundred. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/philosophical-lessons-from-senecas-biography-part-1/