Weekly Writing Assignment 4 1.-4.
Seneca, Letters from a Stoic, Letters XVI, XVIII, XXVI, and XXVIII.
For each of the four letters, summarize the main point Seneca is making, and explain how this leads to wisdom.
In Letter XVI, the main point that Seneca is making is clearly stated in the beginning. It states, “no man can live a happy life, or even a supportable life, without the study of wisdom. Therefore, one can conclude that the main point of this letter is philosophy and how one’s life is molded and guided based upon the wisdom one obtains. This leads to wisdom because it shows one how to act; that is, what one should and should not do.
In Letter XVIII, the main point that Seneca is trying to make is that it does not take wealth to make a person happy. In fact, he believes that one should practice fear so that he or
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In his second point, Aurelius basically states that one’s mind should be in pursuit of the good. That is, one should pursue truth, self-control, and courage.
• Book IV In this book, the first point that Aurelius makes is that to find peace and happiness, one must keep one’s mind free from trouble. Secondly, Aurelius states that one should act virtuously, spending one’s time wisely, so that when one lives this world, he or she knows that his or her actions were good.
Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy
• Book I
8. Why exactly does Boethius feel disappointed? Would Seneca or Aurelius disagree with his reasons?
Boethius feels disappointed because he is not at peace with his own mind and soul in the later years of his life. He is in a moral dilemma because he has lost touch with himself, as well as, the world and its creator. In my opinion, Seneca and Aurelius both agreed with Boethius because they all believed in a higher power who helps one with
Of Music: Understanding the Text 1. Boethius begins the essay by writing about the other senses, especially sight, before introducing the topic of music because our actions we part take are “not so obvious” why the way we are when we are listening to music and using our senses. The similarity of music and the senses are not so easy to comprehend our actions under the influence of music and the knowledge of our senses. 2.
In letter 3 he says “But success SHALL crown my endeavors. Wherefore not? Thus far I have gone, tracing a secure way over the pathless seas, the very stars themselves being witnesses and testimonies of my triumph. Why not still proceed over the untamed yet obedient element? What can stop the determined heart and resolved will of man? I desire the company of a man who could sympathize with me, whose eyes would reply to mine. You may deem me romantic, my dear sister, but I bitterly feel the want of a friend.” Basically he’s saying he wants to have company from a man who can share this experience with
Seneca has a strong opinion on the liberal arts and the liberal study’s in general. He thinks students are only focused on the worldly skills, and not the skills of life. Students are lacking the common knowledge on how to treat others and losing sight in what it takes to become a decent human being. In “Liberal Studies and Education” by Seneca, the path to virtue is through self-awareness. Throughout Seneca’s letter he states his views on liberal education and how important it is in life, students can’t just focus on worldly things, they need to focus on the things we take with us after death. The mind is important, but in Seneca’s letter, he feels the soul should get the most attention in the education field, virtue being his main idea. The effects of virtue are illustrated through the characteristics of, kindness, love for the common man, and inner strength.
In the first section of the letter, Crevecoeur mainly appeals to pathos and logos. By appealing to pathos, Crevecoeur evokes emotion, specifically evoking a sense of pride. He also appeals to logos in order to show his reasoning and thoughts about why America is a better place to live than England. In the middle of the section, Crevecoeur says, “Can a wretch who wanders about, who works and starves, whose life is a continual scene of sore affliction or pinching penury; can that man call England or any other kingdom his country?”.
total good of the man. Plato holds that if the desire were truly for a good
Aurelius, Marcus. The meditations of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. New York: A.L. Burt, 189.
Rich people tend to believe that their money will insulate them from disappointments which is simply untrue and therefore, Seneca’s advice to deal with anger is to be more pessimistic, as he felt that if people are more pessimistic about daily life that they will be less surprised by disappointments and thus less angered by
Therefore, since we advance towards the end with tiny deaths all our life, why being so afraid of the final one (Seneca secs. 19 and 21)? Finally, he finishes his letter by affirming that we are meant to die and cites Epicurus saying that it is foolish to seek death while the final destination meant for us is death (Seneca sec. 23). Nature is a cycle, and everything will come back; according to many, living is only a needless part of our cycle (Seneca sec.
Boethius places an increased emphasis on God’s eternal goodness to prove He can neither causes nor condone wickedness, intending to provide comfort for the virtuous affected by injustice. Boethius’s belief concerning the interaction of evil and justice in the Consolation of Philosophy intends to comfort the virtuous from the seemingly wicked world. Lady Philosophy, representing reason, soothes Boethius’s initial concerns by explaining how evil, the absence of good, can never defeat justice, and that the wicked will receive their punishment when Providence sees fit. Boethius also places an increased emphasis on God’s eternal goodness to clarify the role of Providence in the natural plan of the world. Boethius advises the reader that true happiness can only be found in the stability of the self and a virtuous lifestyle.
Aristotle begins his ethical account by saying that “every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and every choice, is thought to aim for some good; and for this reason the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim” (line 1094a1). Though some things might produce higher good than others, Aristotle looks for the highest good, which he says we must “desire for its own sake” and our actions are not decided on some other goal beyond this good itself (line 1094a20-25).[1] This highest good is then realized to be happiness (line 1095a16-20).
I am arguing Seneca’s letter #47 to Lucilius, was correct in explaining to Lucilius the importance of treating slaves in a harmonic and gentle way, instead of treating them harshly. Moreover, he is pleased and content to hear that Lucilius is treating his slaves well. As evident by Seneca writing “I am glad to learn, through those who come from you, that you live on friendly terms with your slaves”, “I do not wish to delay you longer; for you need no exhortation. This, among other things, is a mark of good character.”
One of Aristotle’s conclusions in the first book of Nicomachean Ethics is that “human good turns out to be the soul’s activity that expresses virtue”(EN 1.7.1098a17). This conclusion can be explicated with Aristotle’s definitions and reasonings concerning good, activity of soul, and excellence through virtue; all with respect to happiness.
In The Extant Letters, Epicurus argues that the primary goal in life is to achieve pleasure. However, he emphasizes that there are various types of pleasures, and not all of them are aimed at proper ends. The sole aim of this paper is to analyze the various types of pleasures, explain what is the proper end of humanity according to Epicurus, and discuss why his distinction among desires is evidently implausible. In order to understand the concept of pleasures, Epicurus commences his argument by divulging the different categories of pleasures.
Aristotle tries to draw a general understanding of the human good, exploring the causes of human actions, trying to identify the most common ultimate purpose of human actions. Indeed, Aristotelian’s ethics, also investigates through the psychological and the spiritual realms of human beings.
Marcus Aurelius was a famous philosopher in 121 through 180 C.E. He lived a hard life and even though he was surrounded by crowds he was considered a recluse. He was known for his kindness and mercy. The last years of his life were spent on a military campaign. It is said that these years were the hardest and loneliest. However, instead of becoming bitter and angry Aurelius wrote The Meditations. This was a diary or journal of his personal thoughts. He believed that by writing this it was his duty to his soul. The Meditations, is a popular piece of stoic literature. In this paper I will be describing how Aurelius used stoicism in book two of The Meditations and what I liked and did not like about what he said.