How to use Seneca’s philosophy today

Philosophy is either perennial or false because it is based on the principles underlying the universe and human nature. Great thinkers such as #aristotle (384-322 BC) identified and codified those principles. When we affirm that Aristotle’s #philosophy is true, we mean that Aristotle has correctly identified those principles and then codified them in an intelligible manner. Generation after generation, people have been relying on a handful of philosophers to figure out the world. True answers help us understand the principles of identity and causality, how emotions are generated, and distinguishing good from evil. Seneca made important contributions to #stoicism , the set of philosophical ideas that prevailed in Europe for six hundred years: roughly since Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) until Augustine (354-430 AD). Stoicism is an ethical system, not a complete philosophical system. It provides guidance about how to pursue happiness, avoid pain and live effectively, but does not say much about metaphysics, epistemology, politics and aesthetics. Other than assuming that the universe is driven by reason, Stoic philosophers did not venture beyond the obvious. Their view of “reason” as the driving force of the universe is rather mystical and does not correspond to the Aristotelian definitions of rationality and logic. Nonetheless, despite being limited to ethics, Stoicism gives us important insights into human behaviour. #seneca compiled those insights and put them in writing, using examples from his personal life and from history. Seneca’s insights are worth studying because they constitute a corpus of proven practical advice. Thousands of people have applied Seneca’s recommendations successfully and improved their lives. We can do the same in our century, especially with the following key ideas from Seneca. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/how-to-use-senecas-philosophy-today/