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Comment by ealloc | Hacker News Reader

Seneca sounds extremely privileged to me. His advice might be useful to rich people, but not the vast majority of people (in his time, or ours) who have to work hard just to survive.

His main complaint is against rich people who "squandered in luxury and carelessness", the various ways in which "riches [are] a burden", how men care too much about the "limit of their lands". Almost every sentence seems spoken to someone too rich for his own good, with too many slaves, mistresses, clients, and land.

It fits in with my picture of Rome as having a strong class hierarchy (and up to 30% slaves!). This are the words from the "optimo iure" to themselves.

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I'd suggest reading him again. And this time, read luxury as "that which is not necessary", rather than "excessive opulence".

And then read the other parts that don't talk about wealth.

Seneca was solace to me when staring death in the face (Cancer) and I can assure you money was no use then.

Seneca was bloody privileged, but he produced a system that helps deal with the problems of privilege (they exist) and also the problems of lack of privilege.

In that case, try The Enchiridion[1] by Epictetus. Epictetus was also a Stoic philosopher who was born a slave. He was eventually freed, and then he was banished from Rome (along with all philosophers). He was lame for most of his life. Yet by all accounts he was happy and successful.

[1] http://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/epicench.html

Your comment is so out of line. You are still wealthier than him by vast amounts. So no matter what you think he sounds like. You can still benefit from his advice.

I agree with your sentiment, but I doubt this is true. Seneca was just about the richest man in Rome. He ran the empire from behind the scenes, along with Burrus for several years.

There were certainly many things Seneca didn't have access to from our time. But I think on any sensible measure he was wealthier than almost anyone alive today.

We've made many advances, but we forget that whatever we have often merely replaced an older version that did the job well enough, especially for those with means.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seneca_the_Younger#Imperial_adv...

You are still incorrect. The average wealth and rate of innovation is richer you have more aggregate wealth in all the forms that matter to you(Dental) except possibly status.

I'm pretty sure he wish he had dentistry.

Seneca suffered from severe abdominal pain for most of his life and would probably have given all of his wealth for an escape from it.

If you are working hard to survive, you don't have time to think and experience existential dread. If you have time, you have the luxury Seneca talks about.

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