Welcome to the fourth of an occasional series of video chats with authors and translators who have written about the philosophy, culture, and history of the Greco-Roman tradition.
In this episode I talk to James Romm, author and translator of a number of books on Seneca, including Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero, How to Give: An Ancient Guide to Giving and Receiving, How to Keep Your Cool: An Ancient Guide to Anger Management, and How to Die: An Ancient Guide to the End of Life. Which happen to be precisely the books we discuss in our wide ranging conversation on Stoicism and practical philosophy.
We debate whether Seneca was a monster or a secular saint, why we moderns grossly underestimate the importance of bestowing or receiving benefits, how come people get angry when we talk about anger, and in what sense a major task of philosophy is to prepare us for our own demise.
Here is our video chat:
It's been on my mind to invite James Romm to present at Conversations with Modern Stoicism and then you appear with this excellent interview. Well done. I'd love to hear that Hollywood has come knocking on his door to option "Dying Every Day" for a movie. Thanks for sharing this. Also, Stellan Skarsgård would make a very convincing Seneca.
Took me until just now to listen, and I learned so much from this convo! Both philosophically and personally.
What a perfect thing to watch in the first day of a new year.
What strikes me most is how compatible Stoicism is with Buddhism. In terms of working on ourselves, cultivating ethical behavior and learning to navigate our own emotional landscape. And also focusing on our own death as a means to enriching Life.
Both Stoicism and Buddhism are ancient teachings that have an enormous amount to teach us, guide us, and enliven us (in the most literal way)
I guess it’s time for me to turn westward for awhile and actually read Seneca, or a book about him by a contemporary
writer? Recommendations for something like Stoicism 101, for an ignorant beginner.
This is so cool, Massimo. Glad I found your stack!
Sorry your sabbatical is almost up, but I’ll bet one or two of your students will make you happy to be teaching again.
Now Im going to hunt down that Malkovitch flick!