In de leer bij Seneca. Een stoïsch perspectief op levenskunst, onderwijs en opvoeding

Abstract

Learning from Seneca: A stoic perspective on the art of life and education. There is an increasing interest in publications about the sources of meaning in life; books about the art of life are immensely popular. This article sets out to discover if one of the ancient predecessors of current art of life theories, the Stoa and more particularly Seneca, can be a source for current debates about the aims of education. The article describes Seneca’s ideas on education. These were relatively sparse, but in his letters to his friend Lucilius we find several ideas as to how educators can assist students to become wise and virtuous adults. The main characteristic of the virtuous sage is his ability to eliminate all emotions. While we do not embrace the stoic ideal of ‘apatheia’, we have discovered insights that we believe can be a valuable source for educators and students in their reflections on the meaning of education.