Seneca A Genius Or Overrated - 1726 Words

Seneca: A Genius or Overrated? Seneca, a renowned and well respected philosopher, is the author behind the ancient dialogues Moral Letters to Lucilius and On the Happy Life, among many others. Throughout these two dialogues, Seneca shares his stoic views. Although he disagreed on some views, he felt strongly about others. His ideas mainly focus around the need to pursue happiness by adherently pursuing the nature of reasoning. Thus, he advocates the importance of pursuing happiness right-minded. I agree with Seneca’s stoic principles, emphasizing the need to strive for the highest good in life while living in accordance with temperance, wisdom, courage, and justice. According to Seneca, following these virtues allows any man live in a†¦show more content†¦Whereas some are convinced that it is indeed a good thing, others maintain that pleasure is bad and merely insatiable. Contrary to society’s belief, pleasure does not bring happiness. Pleasure only brings stre ss in which you someone experiences it in order to obtain it; all for temporary euphoria. Seneca believes that if a person’s purpose in life is to seek pleasure, he will search for an eternity. Instead, Seneca argues that a person should seek virtues. In his opinion, virtue and pleasure are not the same thing but rather different. In Seneca’s view, â€Å"virtue does not confer pleasure but confers pleasure in addition; it does not exert itself for pleasure, but its exertions, although directed at other ends, attain pleasure in the process† (pg 44). As previously stated, the quote underlines the theory that pleasure will only bring you happiness for a brief moment. Having virtue within oneself is something that will last for a lifetime and cannot be taken away. Contradictingly, Seneca does believe that one can experience pleasure, if it is in control and moderation. At the end of the day, all humans are going to search for pleasure, however, it is up to yourself to determine which is just. Additionally, Seneca emphasizes the fact that fortune should not be by all means a burden or constraint. In recent discussions about wealth, a controversial issue has been whether wealth