ultimo aggiornamento: aprile 2008

 

LUCIUS ANNAEUS SENECA  (N. 5)    As we already stated at the very beginning of this examination, Seneca represents a very interesting case in the History of Philosophy. If we exclude a minor production on literary themes, which is very little known, there is no doubt that all the works of this Roman writer makes up a very clear moral doctrine. The manner in which this doctrine is exposed is also very particular, since all the norms are accompanied by a practical objective which can be obtained, but which is very rare and difficult to find a theoretical justification. For this reason, Seneca appears to be a thinker who is literally “out of mind”, with advices, suggestions, good intentions that are all rather prodigal, all aimed at the creation of a “Wise Man”, and to reach the total happiness of the soul, but there are no indications on the organized thinking behind this moral instrument, a kind of unity of ideas and beliefs from which moral doctrine later originated. Our examination is based on the conviction that Seneca's way of thinking, however must exist, since there can be no moral reaction without a theoretical antecedent which causes it. The only possible case can only be a trivial imitation of the behaviour of others, often of religious behaviour, but in Seneca's case, due to his great loquacious abilities, this can be excluded. No. Seneca is certainly not an imitator of behaviours and rules. His doctrine appears to be original and sure of itself. Thus I do exclude that his theoretical background can be found in the theory of the Stoic School of thought, even though, without doubt, the themes are common to both. For this reason, I must admit that due to a real theory, Historians and philosophers have always been under the impression that Seneca is an isolated figure among the various ones of Roman Stoicism. In fact, after the Hellenistic period, it seemed that Stoicism had laid its foundations in Rome as a school of thought, and all those adhering to it were its common disciples. For this reason it is very important to try and recreate Seneca's Stoic thought, apart form his personal moral doctrine: in this way it is possible to uncover a re-founder of Stoicism, and therefore, self-sufficient and much better as regards the Hellenistic School. What I want to say is that Rome was the centre in which the new Stoic School was being created, more mature and more advanced than the Greek version: once more it was am important step in the progress of the Stoic spirit. This is the sense of expressions like “the soul can be bettered”, “the soul can be educated”. Unfortunately all this cannot be immediately comprehendible in Seneca's works: this shows us the so-called “theory in practice” of his thought. Our tack is to make evident this thought, and in this way we must give up this comfortable collocation of Seneca in the generic “Stoic School”.                                                                                                           (No.5, to be continued)