It would be great if I could affirm that #seneca figured out the key to tranquillity. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. He did deploy extensive efforts in this area, especially in his treatise “On the Tranquillity of the Mind,” but he failed to identify a valid formula for peace of mind. Nonetheless, I find it useful to analyse Seneca’s prescription in this area because the analysis will bring us close to the truth. By understanding Seneca’s errors, we can gain crucial insights into the best recipes for tranquillity. Seneca believed that, for humans, #tranquillity comes from within. He decoupled peace of mind from the circumstances, risks and setbacks experienced by individuals. He affirmed that humans can remain calm and equanimous even in the face of vast disasters. What proof did Seneca provide for his hypothesis? Only a series of anecdotes that demonstrate very little. For instance, in his treatise “On the Tranquillity of the Mind,” Seneca points out that the dictator Lucius Cornelius #sulla (138-78 BC) never found peace of mind in life, despite his enormous wealth and political power. I agree with the logic that Sulla’s inner #turmoil shows that wealth and power alone don’t guarantee tranquillity. It isn’t hard to tear Seneca’s argument apart because it lacks fundamental logic. Seneca would have been right to affirm that wealth and power don’t necessarily lead to tranquillity, but the inner turmoil of Sulla does not demonstrate that wealth, power, and other practical advantages are irrelevant for tranquillity. I am sure that Sulla would have enjoyed life much less if he had lacked wealth and power, or if he had suffered a defeat in his military campaigns. There is no logical basis to affirm that success, prosperity and good health are irrelevant for peace of mind. Seneca’s idea of tranquillity as a purely intellectual phenomenon is clearly in conflict with everybody’s experience of life. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/senecas-philosophy-of-tranquillity/