De Providentia
Encyclopedia
De Providentia is a short essay
in the form of a dialogue
in six brief sections, written by the Latin
philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca, "Seneca the Younger"
(died AD 65) in the last years of his life. He chose the dialogue form (as in the well-known Plato
's works) to deal with the problem of the co-existence of the Stoic
design of providence with the evil in the world.
The dialogue is opened by Lucilius
complaining with his friend Seneca that adversities and misfortunes can happen to good men too. How can this fit with the goodness connected with the design of providence? Seneca answers according to the Stoic
point of view. Nothing actually bad can happen to the good men (the wise man) because opposites don't mix. What looks like adversity is in fact a means by which the man exerts his virtues. As such, he can come out of the ordeal stronger than before.
So, in perfect harmony with the Stoic philosophy
, Seneca explains that the truly wise man can never surrender in the face of misfortunes but as he will always go through them and even if he should fall he will continue fighting on his knees ("si cecidit de genu pugnat").
The wise man understands destiny
and its design, and therefore he has nothing to fear from the future. Neither does he hope for anything, because he already has everything he needs - his good behaviour.
The conclusion is that actually nothing bad happens to good men. We just have to understand what bad means: bad for the wise man would be have bad thoughts, to commit crimes, to desire money or fame. Whoever behaves wisely already has all the good possible.
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
in the form of a dialogue
Dialogue
Dialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people....
in six brief sections, written by the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca, "Seneca the Younger"
Seneca the Younger
Lucius Annaeus Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work humorist, of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero...
(died AD 65) in the last years of his life. He chose the dialogue form (as in the well-known Plato
Plato
Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...
's works) to deal with the problem of the co-existence of the Stoic
STOIC
STOIC was a variant of Forth.It started out at the MIT and Harvard Biomedical Engineering Centre in Boston, and was written in the mid 1970s by Jonathan Sachs...
design of providence with the evil in the world.
The dialogue is opened by Lucilius
Lucilius Junior
Lucilius Junior , was the Roman governor of Sicily during the reign of Nero, a friend and correspondent of Seneca, and the possible author of Aetna, a poem which survives in a corrupt state.-Life:...
complaining with his friend Seneca that adversities and misfortunes can happen to good men too. How can this fit with the goodness connected with the design of providence? Seneca answers according to the Stoic
STOIC
STOIC was a variant of Forth.It started out at the MIT and Harvard Biomedical Engineering Centre in Boston, and was written in the mid 1970s by Jonathan Sachs...
point of view. Nothing actually bad can happen to the good men (the wise man) because opposites don't mix. What looks like adversity is in fact a means by which the man exerts his virtues. As such, he can come out of the ordeal stronger than before.
So, in perfect harmony with the Stoic philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, Seneca explains that the truly wise man can never surrender in the face of misfortunes but as he will always go through them and even if he should fall he will continue fighting on his knees ("si cecidit de genu pugnat").
The wise man understands destiny
Destiny
Destiny or fate refers to a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual...
and its design, and therefore he has nothing to fear from the future. Neither does he hope for anything, because he already has everything he needs - his good behaviour.
The conclusion is that actually nothing bad happens to good men. We just have to understand what bad means: bad for the wise man would be have bad thoughts, to commit crimes, to desire money or fame. Whoever behaves wisely already has all the good possible.
External links
- De Providentia - Latin text at gmu.edu
- De Providentia - Latin text at thelatinlibrary.com
- Of Providence - English text at WikiSource