Seneca,
Your letter today has a sobering message. Rather than the “intellectual masturbation” of handling certain logical problems, our focus on ourselves, and thence our aid to others, is about our manner of life.
Does handling The Liar instil self-control? Not by itself. I can see a case in which such sorts of academic works could be a spiritual discipline of sorts however that doesn’t often seem to be the case.
Thank you for letter. I’m thinking on it quite a bit this morning.
Farewell.
Introduction: The Epistles of Diogenes Part 2 (p. 17-18)
The main thrust of this second part to the introduction sums up what we read yesterday, that the letters span a time period and were composed by three or four authors. That the letters may have been a tool during a sort of proselytizing for the mode of life of the Cynic philosopher.
Looking forward to the coming letters.
I. To the Sinopians (p. 93)
Diogenes’ barb at the Sinopians is that while they sent him away, they are stuck with each other. There does seem to be a hint of some sour grapes. Diogenes should rather thank the Sinopians, as without his exile, would he have ever found philosophy? Certainly not Antisthenes.
II. To Antisthenes (p. 93)
It’s a funny thing that calling someone a beet (τεῦτλον) might convert them to philosophy. I am surprised to see that they might draw “their capes around themselves decently.” That hardly smacks of the Diogenes who would do “manual labor,” as it were, in the agora. More Roman revisionism, a more Stoic moral.
This is part of the Cynic Epistles Reading Plan.
Seneca,
“I propose to value them according to their character, and not according to their duties. Each man acquires his character for himself, but accident assigns his duties.”
There is an important lesson here. One which, as I think I mentioned yesterday about people who are rude to table servers.
““He is a slave.” His soul, however, may be that of a freeman. “He is a slave.” But shall that stand in his way? Show me a man who is not a slave; one is a slave to lust, another to greed, another to ambition, and all men are slaves to fear.”
I’m hung up on “may be that of a freeman.” It’s my own position that every human has the soul of a freeman. While there is perceived security or safety sometimes under the yoke, every heart yearns to be free.
Farewell.
Introduction: The Epistles of Diogenes Part 1 (p. 14-16)
Today, we’re simply laying the groundwork for the coming letters. It’s standardly accepted amongst scholars that the letters are not the letters written by Diogenes of Sinope, as mentioned in DL.
Indeed, the letters appear to be written by four different authors, spanning a number of years. I’m looking forward to these ones, specifically.
This is part of the Cynic Epistles Reading Plan.
Seneca,
Kindly remember that he whom you call your slave sprang from the same stock, is smiled upon by the same skies, and on equal terms with yourself breathes, lives, and dies. It is just as possible for you to see in him a free-born man as for him to see in you a slave.
The concept of slavery is pretty far removed from the minds of most westerners. Even the poor among us, in terms of energy availability, live more wealthily than kings. Running water, electric lights, hot food.
I read somewhere that an elite athlete on a bicycle produces something like 420 watts. That’s enough (only enough) to power 7 light bulbs. That’s Tour de France level athlete.
Considering the amount of human energy it would take for us to use all the electronics (not even considering oil for vehicle!), each of us has or uses the energy output of a whole retinue of slaves. So, maybe we have more to learn from Seneca’s position on slaves than we might at first think.
On a separate note, I’ve always thought poorly of folks who are rude to people in the service industry. Whether it’s gas station attendants, landscapers, servers in restaurants, whatever. It was simply part of my upbringing to look past the “work” and see the person behind it. No shame in honest labor.
I suspect Seneca would also write to those, speaking of the brotherhood of man, our service under Fate, and reaping the wages of vice.
Yes, I think there are lessons in this piece for us, just as there were for Lucillius.
Farewell.
XXXV. To Aper, do well (p. 89)
The Pseudo-Crates has two points which are worth highlighting. First is the position which echos in Stoicism, that we are distressed when we fail to meet our desires or fail to avoid that to which we are averse. Ps-Crates spells it out, that our desires are untenable, and our we are averse to those things which we necessarily must be exposed to. This is problematic for us.
The second point, is that if the message of the philosopher speaks to us, being bent over a tome like to read the epic poets is not the way. We must emulate those whom we admire, not merely study them.
Praxis.
XXXVI. To Dinomachus (p. 89)
Ps-Crates again beats us over the head with instructions in begging. It seems to me this is a more important part of Cynic practice that I at first (or even at recent) suspected.
This is part of the Cynic Epistles Reading Plan.
Seneca,
The idea that the manner and style of the way we discourse or dialogue is an important one for philosophers. It is not easy to bridge the gap between the specificity of, say, an academic style all the while maintaining and approachability of common conversation.
A useful reminder.
Farewell.
XXXIV. To Metrocles (p. 85)
This is one of the first true chreia of Diogenes in the letters. I’ve read other versions of his being captured by pirates. In the other, some wealthy man bought Diogenes to be a tutor for his children when Diogenes announced he could rule men.
The parable-like nature of the chreia are interesting, they’re well designed and the lessons they teach are couched in an artful way.
The question Diogenes asks about freedom is one worth pondering, if despite the liberties of bodies, are our minds/souls enslaved by pleasures and vice?
This is part of the Cynic Epistles Reading Plan.
Seneca,
Your letter bring up an interesting point today, or rather the second part of the letter from yesterday. First, that the convoluted and hypothetical twists of certain logical problems, while interesting, don’t do much if anything to help us towards virtue.
A point does need to be made, as is implicit even here in your letter, however. That while the paradoxes and riddles are not helpful in and of themselves, we still need to be proficient in the use of logic.
Your statement against the paradoxes is an argument: one a good philosopher needs to be able to parse, weight, judge, and either assent or refute. For a philosopher, Logic is indispensable, as your own argument here today proves.
Farewell.
Mountain Stoic 
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