Timeless wisdom on generosity and gratitude from the great Stoic philosopher Seneca To give and receive well may be the most human thing you can do—but it is also the closest you can come to divinity. So argues the great Roman Stoic thinker Seneca (c. 4 BCE–65 CE) in his longest and most searching moral treatise, “On Benefits” (De Beneficiis). James Romm’s splendid new translation of essential selections from this work conveys the heart of Seneca’s argument that generosity and gratitude are among the most important of all virtues. For Seneca, the impulse to give to others lies at the very foundation of society; without it, we are helpless creatures, worse than wild beasts. But generosity did not arise randomly or by chance. Seneca sees it as part of our desire to emulate the gods, whose creation of the earth and heavens stands as the greatest gift of all. Seneca’s soaring prose captures his wonder at that gift, and expresses a profound sense of gratitude that will inspire today’s readers. Complete with an enlightening introduction and the original Latin on facing pages, How to Give is a timeless guide to the profound significance of true generosity.

On Benefits (De Beneficiis) by Lucius Annaeus Seneca

A volume which explores in detail Seneca's De Beneficiis. Divided into three sections, it looks at the historical and philosophical context of the work, its relation to Seneca's other texts, and concludes with a detailed synopsis of each book, accompanied by notes in commentary form.

De Beneficiis or "On Benefits" is a first-century work by Seneca the Younger (c. 4 BC - 65 AD). It forms part of a series of moral essays composed by Seneca, whose other philosophical explorations included providence, steadfastness, the happy life, anger, leisure, tranquility, the brevity of life, gift-giving, forgiveness, and treatises on natural phenomena.While the word De is invariably translated as On (the subject of), the meaning of the term Beneficiis is variously translated as; gifts and services (M.Griffin), Benefits (M.Griffin in Seneca on Society A Guide to De Beneficiis), the Award and Reception of Favors, Favours (TK Christov) and kind deeds or charity (Jean-Joseph Goux). Beneficiis is translated by the Perseus Tufts online dictionary, being from the word beneficium, as meaning a favor, benefit, service, or kindness.It is considered that the work was very likely written between the years 56 and 62 AD.JM Cooper and JF Procopé provide one line of reasoning for the dating to this particular period for the writing. Mario Lentano provides a collation of a number of sources who posit different periods, of about these years, in Brill's Companion to Seneca: Philosopher and Dramatist. In Epistulae and Lucilium 81:3, Seneca writes that the work was finished by 64 (c.f. Conte - p. 412).

Model mothers -- A band of brothers -- The mystery of marriage -- The desirable contest between fathers and sons -- The imperfect imperial family -- Rewriting the family

This treatise by the Roman philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca was written in the 1st century. In it, Seneca expands his belief that a benefit paid or received for any kind of role, needs to be appropriate. Seneca was one of the chief exponents of Stoicism.

Brad Inwood presents a selection of his most influential essays on the philosophy of Seneca, the Roman Stoic thinker, statesman, and tragedian of the first century AD. Including two brand-new pieces, and a helpful introduction to orient the reader, this volume will be an essential guide for anyone seeking to understand Seneca's fertile, wide-ranging thought and its impact on subsequent generations. In each of these essays Seneca is considered as a philosopher, but with as much account as possible taken of his life, his education, his intellectual and literary background, his career, and his self-presentation as an author. Seneca emerges as a discerning and well-read Stoic, with a strong inclination to think for himself in the context of an intellectual climate teeming with influences from other schools. Seneca's intellectual engagement with Platonism, Aristotelianism, and even with Epicureanism involved a wide range of substantial philosophical interests and concerns. His philosophy was indeed shaped by the fact that he was a Roman, but he was a true philosopher shaped by his culture rather than a Roman writer trying his hand at philosophical themes. The highly rhetorical character of his writing must be accounted for when reading his works, and when one does so the underlying philosophical themes stand out more clearly. While it is hard to generalize about an overall intellectual agenda or systematic philosophical method, key themes and strategies are evident. Inwood shows how Seneca's philosophical ingenium worked itself out in a fundamentally particularistic way as he pursued those aspects of Stoicism that engaged him most forcefully over his career.