What follows is a very brief summary of Seneca’s letter titled “Piece of Mind.” The letter’s purpose was to provide guidance on how to achieve serenity—the ideal state of the Stoic sage. The letter’s recipient was his good friend Serenus, who had asked how he might better control his vices in order to experience greater tranquility. Continue reading Summary of Seneca’s “Peace of Mind” →

Zeno of Citium, the founder of Stoicism.

[Previously, I promised to write about the Stoic view on living a good life. This is that post.]

I’ll begin by describing some Stoic exercises to give you a flavor of Stoicism, then I’ll provide a few bullet points of Stoicism, some summary remarks, a brief video, and links to my previous posts on Stoicism. Continue reading The Stoics on Happiness →

Should we trouble those we love with our worries about the state of the world, environmental degradation, the possibility of nuclear war, etc.? Or does this disturb both ours and their tranquility? Continue reading Summary of Seneca “On Tranquility” →

Zeno of Citium, bust in the Farnese collection, Naples – Photo by Paolo Monti, 1969.

A common criticism of Stoicism is that is doesn’t leave proper room for the emotions or passions (EorP), and thus that it advocate a passionless, unemotional and apathetic life. Let’s investigate this claim. Continue reading The Stoics on the Emotions or Passions →