Seneca's Letters from a Stoic
by Seneca · first published 2016
71% recommend29% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Short, practical letters on living well and handling anger, fear and time. Accessible and useful for anyone seeking an applied introduction to Stoic thinking.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"Along with the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, Seneca's Letters from a Stoic is one of the major texts of Roman Stoic philosophy. Themes include the rational order of the universe, how to lead a simple life, the effects and benefits of misfortune, and the necessity of facing mortality"--
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…emperor of Rome; Meditations are his musings to himself in later life. It's interesting to reading the internal grapplings of a man who was, to his countrymen, basically a walking god. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca's Letters from a Stoic - Epictetus' Enchiridion, which translates roughly as "handbook" and was assembled from the teachings of Epictetus, an exiled former slave, to those who traveled to live and study with him. I strongly…
on “Why Is Stoicism Having a Cultural Moment?” ↗Starting Washington by Paul Johnson and rereading a lot of favorites: John Boyd's biography by Coram & Seneca's Letters from a Stoic. On the side, I am trying to finish Eisenhower's biography - 500/700 pages.
on “Ask HN: Which book are you reading?” ↗I liked Seneca's letters from a Stoic, and the miracle of mindfulness. There's also some helpful exercises in the four hour workweek (writing down worst case scenarios), and bits of the Black Swan were formative. Of course, a big part of…
on “An Experimental Autism Treatment Cost Me My Marriage” ↗I was skeptical but you are correct. Seneca’s Letters from a Stoic is fantastic.
on “C.S. Lewis on the Reading of Old Books” ↗This is also where philosophy can help. I would recommend reading Seneca's 'Letters from a Stoic'.
on “Ask HN: My friend made it big. How to handle?” ↗Finished Range and Siddhartha, and now reading Seneca's letters from a stoic. Range is a great book that extols the virtues of playing around and dabbling with multiple skills. Immensely readable. Siddhartha, is a fascinating take on advaita vedanta, Sramana, and Buddhism. As…
on “Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?” ↗…quick note about Seneca's Letters: Most of the common editions only include some of his letters. You'll have to actively search for an edition which includes all 124 of them. The Dover Thrift Edition of Seneca's Letters from a Stoic include all of them and is also translated by Gummere, but does not include the original Greek and is cheaper than the Loeb edition. The Loeb books are really attractive in my library, though. If you're…
on “Slave, Scholar, Stoic” ↗