Seneca
The Literary Philosopher

In-depth studies of Seneca's relation to Greek philosophy, his analysis of the emotions, and his project as a literary author.

Margaret Graver (Author)

9781107164048, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 30 March 2023

318 pages
23.5 x 15.5 x 2 cm, 0.629 kg

'This volume is the gold standard for analyses of Seneca's articulation of Stoic philosophy as well as his creative thinking and communication of ideas, particularly in those areas where Graver's work has been most extensive, such as the philosophy of the emotions and the Letters on Ethics. The editing and production are highly professional, and the book serves as a fitting showcase of some of the most rigorous accounts available of specific topics and texts, and of innovative claims about Seneca's overall contribution.' James Ker, Journal of the History of Philosophy

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.

Part I. Recreating the Stoic Past: 1. The life of the mind
2. Action and emotion
3. The treatise On Benefits: real kindness and real agency
Part II. Rival Traditions in Philosophy: 4. Seneca and Epicurus
5. Refuting the Peripatetics: Seneca and the school of Aristotle
Part III. Models of Emotional Experience: 6. Seneca's therapy for anger
7. The weeping wise
8. Anatomies of joy: Seneca and the Gaudium tradition
Part IV. The Self within the Text: 9. The challenge of the Phaedrus: therapeutic writing and the Letters on Ethics
10. The mouse, the moneybox, and the six-footed scurrying solecism
11. The manhandling of Maecenas
12. Honeybee reading and self-scripting.

Subject Areas: Ethics & moral philosophy [HPQ], Philosophy of mind [HPM], Philosophy [HP]