Voting Station

Seneca

Please vote to return to collections.

Philosopher

The Resume

    (circa 4 BC-circa 65)
    Born in Rome, Italy
    Full name: Lucius Annaeus Seneca, also known as Seneca the Younger
    Stoic philosopher, writer, playwright, tutor and adviser to Roman emperor Nero
    Left behind a body of work which includes; 124 letters mostly dealing with morals, a dozen philosophical essays, and ten plays
    Was forced to commit suicide by Nero to avoid public execution

Why he might be annoying:

    Though possibly innocent, he was executed/forced to commit suicide for plotting to kill Nero.
    He probably took part in the assassination of Nero's mother, Agrippina, with Nero's blessing.
    He was banished for several years to Corsica for sleeping with the Emperor Claudius' niece, which was not the only time he was accused of adultery.
    All of this is at odds with his embrace of Stoic philosophy which rejected materialism and promoted high ethical standards.
    He bungled his attempt at suicide by taking poison and stabbing himself in his bath and had to be suffocated by his friends.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He is highly regarded as a philosopher and his writings have been exhaustively studied throughout the history of the west.
    It was only after he retired as Nero's adviser that Nero really started going downhill.
    He is believed to have been friends and correspondents with Saint Paul and may have joined the early Christian church.
    He was highly regarded by much of the early Church with Tertullian calling him 'Our Seneca.'
    His plays have influenced much of western literature and he is considered to have created the 'revenge tragedy' like Hamlet.
    His biography (the source of many of the negative things said about him) by Suillius was a smear job.
    Some of his sayings include; 'Virtue is sufficient for happiness,' 'Nothing deters a good man from doing what is honorable' and 'It is rash to condemn when you are ignorant.'

Credit: tom_jeffords


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 25 Votes: 52.00% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 7 Votes: 14.29% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 5 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 18 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 13 Votes: 53.85% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 9 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 18 Votes: 38.89% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 58 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 25 Votes: 48.00% Annoying