Stoicism and Skepticism: when Seneca mentions Cicero — Part I
I have been practicing Stoicism for seven years now. And recently I developed a keen interest in Skepticism, particularly of the kind articulated by the Roman statesman and philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 BCE). So the other day it occurred to me: does Seneca (who lived from 4 BCE to 65 CE) ever mention Cicero? He does, many times, though sometimes admiringly and at other times critically. As it should be.
What follows are some highlights, with a little commentary of my own. The idea is to explore how Seneca, a major exponent of Stoicism who nevertheless considered himself an independent thinker open to borrow from other philosophies (“not as a deserter, but as a scout,” Letter II.5) regarded Cicero, whose allegiance was to a different school but who was nevertheless well disposed toward the Stoics. Hopefully, we’ll learn something valuable from these two giants of the Roman world.
Seneca mentions Cicero so frequently that I’m splitting my commentary into two posts. In the current essay I will focus mostly on the Letters to Lucilius, as well as on one passage in the Letter of Consolation to Marcia. Let’s begin.
“If Marcus Cicero had fallen at the time when he avoided those daggers which Catiline aimed equally at him and at his country, he might have died as the savior of the…
