Stoicism and Emotion

On the surface, stoicism and emotion seem like contradictory terms. Yet the Stoic philosophers of ancient Greece and Rome were deeply interested in the emotions, which they understood as complex judgments about what we regard as valuable in our surroundings. Stoicism and Emotion shows that they did not simply advocate an across-the-board suppression of feeling, as stoicism implies in today’s English, but instead conducted a searching examination of these powerful psychological responses, seeking to understand what attitude toward them expresses the deepest respect for human potential. In this elegant and clearly written work, Margaret Graver gives a compelling new interpretation of the Stoic position. Drawing on a vast range of ancient sources, she argues that the chief demand of Stoic ethics is not that we should suppress or deny our feelings, but that we should perfect the rational mind at the core of every human being. Like all our judgments, the Stoics believed, our affective responses can be either true or false and right or wrong, and we must assume responsibility for them. Without glossing over the difficulties, Graver also shows how the Stoics dealt with those questions that seem to present problems for their theory: the physiological basis of affective responses, the phenomenon of being carried away by one’s emotions, the occurrence of involuntary feelings and the disordered behaviors of mental illness. Ultimately revealing the deeper motivations of Stoic philosophy, Stoicism and Emotion uncovers the sources of its broad appeal in the ancient world and illuminates its surprising relevance to our own.

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Graver, Margaret

Mental Health

University of Chicago Press

The Roman statesman and philosopher Seneca (4 BCE–65 CE) recorded his moral philosophy and reflections on life as a highly original kind of correspondence. Letters on Ethics includes vivid descriptions of town and country life in Nero’s Italy, discussions of poetry and oratory, and philosophical training for Seneca’s friend Lucilius. This volume, the first complete English translation in nearly a century, makes the Letters more accessible than ever before. Written as much for a general audience as for Lucilius, these engaging letters offer advice on how to deal with everything from nosy neighbors to sickness, pain, and death. Seneca uses the informal format of the letter to present the central ideas of Stoicism, for centuries the most influential philosophical system in the Mediterranean world. His lively and at times humorous expositions have made the Letters his most popular work and an enduring classic. Including an introduction and explanatory notes by Margaret Graver and A. A. Long, this authoritative edition will captivate a new generation of readers.

Letters on Ethics: To Lucilius (The Complete Works of Lucius Annaeus Seneca)

History

Séneca, Lucius Annaeus

Long, A.A.

Ancient Civilizations

Letters of Lucius Annaeus Seneca V1

Literature & Fiction

History & Criticism

Letters of Lucius Annaeus Seneca V2

Seneca: Fifty Letters of a Roman Stoic

A selection of Seneca's most significant letters that illuminate his philosophical and personal life. &nbsp; "There is only one course of action that can make you happy. . . . rejoice in what is yours. What is it that is yours? Yourself; the best part of you."&nbsp; &nbsp; In the year 62, citing health issues, the Roman philosopher Seneca withdrew from public service and devoted his time to writing. His letters from this period offer a window&nbsp;onto his experience as a landowner, a traveler, and a man coping with the onset of old age. They&nbsp;share his ideas on everything from&nbsp;the treatment of&nbsp;enslaved people to&nbsp;the perils of&nbsp;seafaring, and they&nbsp;provide lucid explanations for many&nbsp;key points of Stoic philosophy. &nbsp; This selection of&nbsp;fifty letters&nbsp;brings out the essentials of Seneca's thought, with much that&nbsp;speaks&nbsp;directly to the modern reader. Above all, they explore the inner life of the individual&nbsp;who proceeds through philosophical inquiry from a state of emotional turmoil to&nbsp;true friendship, self-determination, and personal excellence.&nbsp;

Essays & Correspondence

Seneca stands apart from other philosophers of Greece and Rome not only for his interest in practical ethics, but also for the beauty and liveliness of his writing. These twelve in-depth essays take up a series of interrelated topics in his works, from his relation to Stoicism, Epicureanism, and other schools of thought; to the psychology of emotion and action and the management of anger and grief; to letter-writing, gift-giving, friendship, and kindness; to Seneca's innovative use of genre, style, and humor. Recalling Socrates's critique of philosophical writing in Plato's Phaedrus, this volume gives particular attention to Seneca's ideas about the techniques of reading, writing, and study that make philosophy beneficial to the individual and to society. Clear explanations and careful translations make the volume accessible to a wide range of readers.

Seneca: The Literary Philosopher

Dramas & Plays

Cambridge University Press

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