Member-only story
Seneca to Lucilius: 76, on wisdom and old age
I am, of course, getting older. By the minute. This is not only inevitable, it is a good thing. As my father used to say, the alternative to getting old is not a palatable one…
But am I also getting wiser? That, I’m afraid, is up for others to decide, though it is certainly what I strive for. It has been, especially, my explicit goal ever since I got into studying and practicing the Hellenistic philosophies, beginning with Stoicism and now with Skepticism.
Which brings me to a crucial question: what, exactly, is the relationship between wisdom and age? That is the topic of one of my favorite letters by Seneca to his friend Lucilius, number 76. Near the beginning we read:
“You should keep learning as long as you are ignorant, even to the end of your life.” (LXXVI.3)
Well, it is pretty much guaranteed that I will be ignorant until the end of my life, so the above almost goes without saying. “Almost” because some people seem to think that just by staying alive and getting older they become wiser. No such thing. Wisdom is the result of an active quest, not something you passively acquire with the simple passing of time. What is needed is a critical attitude of self-reflection, following the famous Delphic commandment: “Know thyself.” Indeed, Seneca makes precisely this point immediately…
