“Seneca and us”: why this topic? Because Seneca reveals himself as what every man should be on the level of spirit and ethical values, a theme masterfully treated by Professor Giuseppe Dossena in an intense conference organized by the “Dante Alighieri” Society, at the “Famiglia Piasinteina”. The speaker underlined, in addition to the biography of the great philosopher, his concept of stoic life based on “commitment”, but combined with a “free” and eclectic spirit: man can achieve earthly happiness by combining nature and reason together , thus achieving detachment from the negative passions that would enslave him. His thoughts remain valid for all times and places, such is their truth and suitability for the human “ethical-spiritual” construction.
His “aphorisms” are many: “the important thing is not the time you live, but how you live the time you have”; “when you are forced to be in a crowd, withdraw into yourself as much as you can”; “the universe is a choral but compact reality”; “he who denies the benefit received is ungrateful; he who conceals it is ungrateful; he who does not return it is more ungrateful; he who forgets it is the most ungrateful of all”; “he who has little is not poor, but he who desires more is poor”; “you have to change your mind, not your sky”; “it is typical of a great soul to despise human greatness and prefer the right mean to excess”; “the result of wisdom consists in a constant state of joy: the soul of the wise man is similar to the supralunar world, where serenity always reigns; the dissolute spend every night among false joys, but that authentic joy that accompanies the gods and the there is no end to their emulation”; “true wealth is the ability to enjoy what you have”; “happiness is a gift of a free, elevated, intrepid and constant soul, far from fears and desires, for which the only good is honesty and the only evil dishonesty, and everything else is nothing else that a despicable set of things add nothing to happiness”; “anger is the most fearful of vices, and it is even more fearful when you have Power”; “the soul must be called to account every day”; “anger will calm down if you know that you will have to present yourself every day”; “we get offended, we kill ourselves, but we are only a dot in the darkness of the immensity”.
Here, these are just some of the countless acute and truthful statements on ethics and the formation of Man that Seneca left as a legacy to all of us, and which he himself consistently lived. It is on “inner freedom” that Seneca bases happiness, implementing the aforementioned wise union between nature and reason, which allows Man to realize his tension towards good, maturing fully. Passions are deceptive, they lead to error and unhappiness: society is rotten, but man must not separate himself from it, but rather try to improve it as far as he can. Seneca does not gamble his freedom, but rather, without fleeing from Stoic philosophy, he declares himself a “free” explorer in his spirit.
Born in Cordoba, a Roman colony outside Italic territory, to a family descended from Italic immigrants who moved there in the 2nd century BC, but then moved to Rome to more easily integrate their children into socio-political life, Seneca was tormented by asthma problems, with sometimes desperate attacks. The teachings of the masters exerted a profound influence on him, thus making him lead a life that was always consistent with his internalized principles and ideals. Thus it was that Seneca developed a stoic position (living life with constant, constructive and healthy commitment), but also epicurean elements (detachment of the sapiens from the common people for spiritual elevation), cynical (freedom from passions), platonic (spiritual idea of divinity), Socratic (freedom attainable through knowledge) and Aristotelian (importance of the sciences). Wisdom in Seneca was the source for dominating the passions: not apathy and immunity from feelings, but triumph over negative passions, and examination of conscience. Seneca’s philosophical prose, although elaborate and complex, in the “dialogues” appears to be of colloquial language. Author of a myriad of “Dialogues”, of ethical-political “Treaties”, of
“Epistles” an instrument of moral growth, of “Tragedies” evidence of the revival of the tragic Latin theatre, and also to express execration of tyranny, was active in many fields, including public and political life in the period of the emperors Caligula, Claudius and Nero. In his youth in Egypt to treat his bronchial disease, there he deepened the ethnic-religious knowledge of others, and a different political reality that considered the King a “god”. Having returned to Rome, Caligula, jealous of the esteem in which Seneca enjoyed his forensic and political activity, tried to eliminate him in 39 AD, using his respectful concept of civil liberties as a pretext. But Seneca was pardoned through the intervention of a lover of Caligula, who claimed that, due to his poor health, he would soon die. Relegated then, after Caligula, to exile in Corsica by Claudius on the (false) accusation of adultery with Caligula’s sister, he was then recalled to Rome after the “execution” of Messalina, and chosen as guardian of his son Nero, on behalf of his mother Agrippina. After Nero’s “first five years of good government” (54-59 AD) in which he governed wisely under the tutelage of Seneca, the relationship deteriorated. And the conspiracy of the Pisos against Nero gave them the pretext to accuse Seneca of treason, which was false. But by now the philosopher had earned the aversion of the emperor and his second wife Poppaea, so Nero “invited” him to commit suicide, “so as to die “honorably”, and not suffer the shame of a sentence. The death of the philosopher was inspired by the ways of Socrates, preceded by the greeting to his students and his wife Pompea Paolina who wanted to commit suicide with him.
Towards the end of the 50s AD, Seneca had met Paul of Tarsus, and many scholars have seen in Seneca’s last writings an unconscious alignment with the Pauline doctrine, and later almost inspiring the “Confessions” of Saint Augustine.
Perhaps it is exaggerated, but it is nevertheless significant that Seneca’s thought attracts quite a few scholars in search of the values of human existence. In fact he was not very distant from the Christian message. But he was a pagan, an expression of his era. But it cannot be denied that his vision was in fact similar to the evangelical message. Probably, if he had lived a few centuries later, he would not have been a… bad Christian, especially in light of his internal “research” which he felt was “modern” and of intimate and wise clarity. It was also satirical, as in the parody on the deification of Claudius decreed by the Roman Senate upon the death of the emperor: the deification of a “pumpkin”, after Seneca himself had pronounced a “funeral eulogy” to the irony of the same circles Court and public opinion. Why this dual attitude? It was probably not a lie, but only an outburst for the unjust exile he suffered, and for the lack of wisdom with which Claudius had “ruled”.
In conclusion: Seneca was a “Great”, and perhaps some critics accuse him of falsehood because Seneca’s truths “hit the target”, true expressions of ethics, and not of a greedy, and perhaps dishonest, desire for “escalation”. . In short, an “uncomfortable” Seneca. Widely exhaustive and knowledgeable conference by Giuseppe Dossena.
