Moral letters to Lucilius (Epistulae morales ad Lucilium)


Lu par John Van Stan

(5 stars; 51 reviews)

Seneca the Younger’s letters to his friend, Lucilius Junior, appear to have been written with a broad audience in mind. These letters introduce major themes of Stoic philosophy and have been a source of inspiration and comfort for readers throughout the centuries. - Summary by jvanstan (24 hr 14 min)

Chapitres

Introduction 11:05 Lu par John Van Stan
On Saving Time 3:45 Lu par John Van Stan
On Discursiveness in Reading 3:50 Lu par John Van Stan
On True and False Friendship 4:16 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Terrors of Death 6:55 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Philosopher's Mean 5:31 Lu par John Van Stan
On Sharing Knowledge 4:15 Lu par John Van Stan
On Crowds 7:25 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Philosopher's Seclusion 6:27 Lu par John Van Stan
On Philosophy and Friendship 14:26 Lu par John Van Stan
On Living to Onself 3:50 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Blush of Modesty 5:40 Lu par John Van Stan
On Old Age 7:50 Lu par John Van Stan
On Groundless Fears 12:05 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Reasons for Withdrawing from the World 12:15 Lu par John Van Stan
On Brawn and Brains 7:55 Lu par John Van Stan
On Philosophy, the Guide of Life 6:25 Lu par John Van Stan
On Philosophy and Riches 7:42 Lu par John Van Stan
On Festivals and Fasting 8:46 Lu par John Van Stan
On Worldliness and Retirement 8:25 Lu par John Van Stan
On Practising What You Preach 8:30 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Renown which My Writings Will Bring You 8:00 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Futility of Half-way Measures 10:40 Lu par John Van Stan
On the True Joy which Comes from Philosophy 7:15 Lu par John Van Stan
On Despising Death 17:10 Lu par John Van Stan
On Reformation 5:05 Lu par John Van Stan
On Old Age and Death 6:30 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Good which Abides 6:05 Lu par John Van Stan
On Travel as a Cure for Discontent 6:00 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Critical Condition of Marcellinus 8:00 Lu par John Van Stan
On Conquering the Conqueror 11:00 Lu par John Van Stan
On Siren Songs 7:50 Lu par John Van Stan
On Progress 3:40 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Futility of Learning Maxims 7:45 Lu par John Van Stan
On a Promising Pupil 2:25 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Friendship of Kindred Minds 3:22 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Value of Retirement 8:05 Lu par John Van Stan
On Allegiance to Virtue 3:25 Lu par John Van Stan
On Quiet Conversation 2:15 Lu par John Van Stan
On Noble Aspirations 4:40 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Proper Style for a Philosopher's Discourse 9:40 Lu par John Van Stan
On the God within Us 6:35 Lu par John Van Stan
On Values 6:45 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Relativity of Fame 3:00 Lu par John Van Stan
Of Philosophy and Pedigrees 5:10 Lu par John Van Stan
On Sophistical Argumentation 9:20 Lu par John Van Stan
On a New Book by Lucilius 2:45 Lu par John Van Stan
On Master and Slave 13:40 Lu par John Van Stan
On Quibbling as Unworthy of the Philosopher 9:05 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Shortness of Life 9:15 Lu par John Van Stan
On Our Blindness and Its Cure 6:05 Lu par John Van Stan
On Baiae and Morals 8:50 Lu par John Van Stan
On Choosing Our Teachers 9:35 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Faults of the Spirit 8:35 Lu par John Van Stan
On Asthma and Death 5:05 Lu par John Van Stan
On Vatia's Villa 8:05 Lu par John Van Stan
On Quiet and Study 10:05 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Trials of Travel 5:40 Lu par John Van Stan
On Being 24:50 Lu par John Van Stan
On Pleasure and Joy 13:20 Lu par John Van Stan
On Harmful Prayers 3:00 Lu par John Van Stan
On Meeting Death Cheerfully 2:50 Lu par John Van Stan
On Good Company 2:20 Lu par John Van Stan
On Grief for Lost Friends 9:50 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Philosopher's Task 6:00 Lu par John Van Stan
On the First Cause 16:00 Lu par John Van Stan
On Various Aspects of Virtue 35:10 Lu par John Van Stan
On Ill-health and Endurance of Suffering 10:10 Lu par John Van Stan
On Wisdom and Retirement 8:41 Lu par John Van Stan
On Rest and Restlessness 3:35 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Proper Time to Slip the Cable 16:55 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Supreme Good 23:55 Lu par John Van Stan
On Business as the Enemy of Philosophy 8:25 Lu par John Van Stan
On Philosophers and Kings 9:40 Lu par John Van Stan
On Virtue as a Refuge from Worldly Distractions 24:40 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Diseases of the Soul 10:50 Lu par John Van Stan
On Learning Wisdom in Old Age 21:44 Lu par John Van Stan
On Taking One's Own Life 12:40 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Healing Power of the Mind 19:00 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Rewards of Scientific Discovery 12:00 Lu par John Van Stan
On Worldly Deceptions 7:20 Lu par John Van Stan
On Benefits 20:50 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Natural Fear of Death 18:50 Lu par John Van Stan
On Drunkenness 17:50 Lu par John Van Stan
On Gathering Ideas 8:55 Lu par John Van Stan
On Some Vain Syllogisms 27:30 Lu par John Van Stan
On Scipio's Villa 12:25 Lu par John Van Stan
Some Arguments in Favour of the Simple Life 26:05 Lu par John Van Stan
On Liberal and Vocational Studies 29:50 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Parts of Philosophy 15:45 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Part Played by Philosophy in the Progress of Man 36:05 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Lesson to be Drawn from the Burning of Lyons 16:30 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Happy Life 25:55 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Quality, as Contrasted with the Length, of Life 9:10 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Value of Advice 48:10 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Usefulness of Basic Principles 45:20 Lu par John Van Stan
On Facing Hardships 3:40 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Degeneracy of the Age 10:20 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Fickleness of Fortune 11:50 Lu par John Van Stan
On Consolation of the Bereaved 21:25 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Writings of Fabianus 9:05 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Futility of Planning Ahead 10:30 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Intimations of Our Immortality 20:20 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Dangers of Association with Our Fellow-Men 3:33 Lu par John Van Stan
On Care of Health and Peace of Mind 23:40 Lu par John Van Stan
On Facing the World with Confidence 5:30 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Corporeality of Virtue 6:00 Lu par John Van Stan
On Obedience to the Universal Will 7:45 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Approaches to Philosophy 25:15 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Fellowship of Wise Men 10:40 Lu par John Van Stan
On True and False Riches 14:25 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Vanity of Mental Gymnastics 3:15 Lu par John Van Stan
On Reforming Hardened Sinners 2:22 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Vitality of the Soul and Its Attributes 19:20 Lu par John Van Stan
On Style as a Mirror of Character 19:50 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Superficial Blessings 13:40 Lu par John Van Stan
On Self-Control 6:20 Lu par John Van Stan
On Real Ethics as Superior to Syllogistic Subtleties 24:55 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Vanity of Place-Seeking 11:09 Lu par John Van Stan
On Nature as Our Best Provider 10:15 Lu par John Van Stan
More About Virtue 16:40 Lu par John Van Stan
On Instinct in Animals 15:20 Lu par John Van Stan
On Darkness as a Veil for Wickedness 12:45 Lu par John Van Stan
On the Conflict between Pleasure and Virtue 11:55 Lu par John Van Stan
On the True Good as Attained by Reason 16:30 Lu par John Van Stan

Critiques

Great


(5 stars)

Good book, good reading, and I am impressed by how good it was for a free reading of such a long book


(5 stars)

Must read if you like Stoicism at all. And yes, it is worth the whole length. The narrator is very good and expressive.

well read


(5 stars)

This is an incredibly long read, and John made it both enjoyable and understandable, using different voices when the author quotes someone else. His tone and inflection also make the intent clear and not just the words.

Excellent pace and intonation


(5 stars)

The reader did an excellent job with communicating the essence of the writing by means of his mellifluous voice and expert pronunciation and pacing. The writing itself is worthy of being taken as a loadstone for one’s moral character. The introduction is revealing, in that it shows that Seneca was influenced by the new Christian religion. Getting back to our roots as a western civilization means looking at the earliest sources. This is certainly one way to do so.

Excellent Job


(5 stars)

This is one of the best items that I have listened to on this LibriVox app. John Van Stan speaks clearly and at a good pace and made this classic work come alive!!

outstanding narrator


(5 stars)

Did a great job of being consistent and clear for the entire work. The affected voices I could do without but it was a minor issue.

Great book


(5 stars)

Well that covered a lot of ground, kudos to the reader for getting through it that must have been a mammoth undertaking.

Excellent rendition!


(5 stars)

I've listened to the first 30 entries so far, and the reader is excellent and has a great method of presentation