Seneca Archives - Stoic Athenaeum

10 Tremendous Takeaways From Breakfast With Seneca

The shadow of the Roman politician Seneca looms large in Stoic philosophy. His work is among the most well-preserved and quoted Stoic texts throughout history, and countless generations have been influenced by his insights into the human condition.

Perhaps this is best seen in The Letters to Lucilius, where Seneca discusses universal themes with his friend. While the letters contain timeless wisdom, Seneca’s ideas are spread across hundreds of pages, and distilling them down could seem like an intimidating task to some.

Not for David Fideler.

In Breakfast With Seneca: A Stoic Guide To The Art Of Living, Fideler has provided a wonderful overview of Seneca’s ideas, and here are my ten biggest takeaways from the book.

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Steven Picanza On Branding The Stoics And Making Philosophy Sexy

There are many paths into philosophy and often the door opens because of setbacks or events beyond our control. This is true for brand strategist Steven Picanza who came to Stoicism through a series of unfortunate events and became stronger.

Co-owner of Latin & Code, Picanza weaves philosophy into his brand strategies and it was great to chat to him about what branding means today, rebranding the Stoics and how to make philosophy sexy again.

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How To Write Like Seneca: Breaking Down The Brand Tone Of Voice Of A Stoic Philosopher

Tone of voice is crucial to understanding the writing style of an author or brand. It’s the building blocks of a personal story, helping readers and listeners understand the information they are consuming and the ancient world was full of writers who wanted to craft a specific tone of voice for themselves.

The Roman politician Lucius Seneca was one such writer who carefully cultivated a specific identity through his plays, letters and political statements. Complicated and endlessly fascinating, Seneca was a man of many contradictions and it’s in his writing style that we get a glimpse of who he was and the tone of voice he crafted for his own brand of Stoic philosophy.

In this article you’ll find out how to write like Seneca and see his brand tone of voice broken down.

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Seneca: A Life Review: A Nuanced Portrayal Of One Of History’s Most Complex Figures

When it comes to studying the Stoics, Seneca is often cited as one of the most prolific because of the number of works he produced and the sources about his life. A complicated man, Seneca was a proud Stoic who often lived at odds with the philosophy he claimed to love under the corrupt regime of Nero.

Was Seneca a philosopher who sought the simple life? Was he a hypocrite who failed to practice what he preached? Was he a man who found himself in an impossible situation and did the best he could to mitigate the excesses of an emperor? Was he all of these things and more?

Such questions are the topic of Emily Wilson’s Seneca: A Life, which provides a nuanced portrayal of one of antiquity’s most complex figures.

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