Mere Mortals Book Reviews Letters From A Stoic (Seneca) - Book Review
Feb 23, 2021
16:02
Why did Seneca consider the learning and pursuit of 'philosophy' as the most important thing that a person could do?
'Letters From A Stoic' by Seneca are a collection of 124 letters (although this version only contains 40) he sent to his friend Lucilius in the last years of his life. He provides guidance on how to think about mental pitfalls, illness, death and vices but also on nobler topics of pleasure, friendship and serenity.
I summarised the book as follows. "The Penguin Classic version by Robin Campbell is an easy to read translation in modern language. It contains gems of wisdom but for me was not as genuine as other Stoic works, such as 'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius. He simultaneously shows the knowledge gained from age, as well as the grumpiness! Plenty of helpful advice though on how to contemplate illness and death, particularly in Letters 77 & 78."
I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Kyrin out!
Timeline:
(0:00) - Synopsis
(2:58) - Philosophy: The most vital pursuit
(6:16) - Living A Good Life: The outcome of philosophy
(7:51) - Personal Observations
(13:08) - Summary
(14:32) - Pragmatic Takeaway: Use others quotes but expand upon them
Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show
'Letters From A Stoic' by Seneca are a collection of 124 letters (although this version only contains 40) he sent to his friend Lucilius in the last years of his life. He provides guidance on how to think about mental pitfalls, illness, death and vices but also on nobler topics of pleasure, friendship and serenity.
I summarised the book as follows. "The Penguin Classic version by Robin Campbell is an easy to read translation in modern language. It contains gems of wisdom but for me was not as genuine as other Stoic works, such as 'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius. He simultaneously shows the knowledge gained from age, as well as the grumpiness! Plenty of helpful advice though on how to contemplate illness and death, particularly in Letters 77 & 78."
I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Kyrin out!
Timeline:
(0:00) - Synopsis
(2:58) - Philosophy: The most vital pursuit
(6:16) - Living A Good Life: The outcome of philosophy
(7:51) - Personal Observations
(13:08) - Summary
(14:32) - Pragmatic Takeaway: Use others quotes but expand upon them
Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show