seneca on love + desire Flashcards
What should the wise man avoid + focus on?
Avoid physical pleasures + focus
How does Seneca say women + men are equal?
Both men + women are equal in capacity to attain virtue
What does Seneca + his wife do daily?
Seneca tells his wife about his day + she listens; showing how shes an accomplice + supporting of his virtue
What is an ideal marriage?
A bond of pure love + similar to friendship
What does Seneca say about his wife?
“For I know that her spirit depends on mine, I care for myself”
When shouldn’t you love someone?
For selfish, personal benefit
How does Seneca show how much his wife is important to him?
“To have someone I can die for, to have someone I can follow into exile for whose death I might exchange my own + pay the price instead”
What does Seneca criticise?
Those who marry for selfish reasons + commit adultery
What does Seneca say about sex?
Sex serves the purpose of procreation only
What does Motto say Seneca does?
He focuses on the regulation of emotions rather than their denial
What is the quote about Seneca’s view on sex?
“lust was given to humanity not for the sake of pleasure, but for the propagation of the human race”
Who was hostios quadra?
A man who knew no distinction of sex + set up the mirrors to gloat over proportions etc 🙉
What did Seneca say love should remember?
Friendship
What is love?
There is no personal advantage it’s about what you can give them rather than self-gain
What does Seneca say about living for another?
“You must live for another if you want to live for yourself
What does Seneca say about desire?
Desire should be avoided; longing of the body, not the soul + harms the Stoic
What are vices?
Immoral behaviour
Who says Seneca focuses on regulation of emotions rather than their denial?
Motto
Why should vices be avoided?
Overindulgence of desire leads to the ruining of the body
What is Seneca’s quote about vices? Where does he say this?
“Vices press upon us and surround us on all sides”
- ‘Seneca on the Shortness of life’
What does Seneca say about drunkness?
“Drunkness doesn’t create vices but brings them out”
What is the example of Phaedra + desire?
“She feels no concern for food or her health”
Loses her strength, grace + beauty bc of desire
What does Seneca believe desire should be?
Seneca believes desire should be nipped in the bud before they build into a ‘rushing stream’ + can’t be controlled
What does Seneca say about homoerotic relationships?
Homoerotic relationships are an indulgence of lust, there’s no hope of procreation
What does Seneca not address/address about homosexuality?
Doesn’t directly address homosexuality but possibly addresses Emperor Nero’s crossdressing
What does Seneca say about crossdressing?
“Does it not seem to you to be living against nature, those who change their clothes for women?”
What does the e.g. of Hostios Quadra say about homosexuality?
Desire can get out control + its greedy for both genders bc he can’t control his lust
What does Seneca say in Letters to Morality about friendship?
The wise man doesn’t need friends, but wants them
What does Seneca say in letters to Morality about loving?
“If you want to be loved, then love”
What is the analogy Seneca uses for giving in to desire?
When you give in to desire, you’re creating a new wound in your soul: the more you give in, the more infected your soul becomes
What does Seneca say about desire in ‘Seneca on Anger’?
Our faces are a key indicator of any ‘violent passion’ including desire
Why does Seneca think desire should be controlled?
So reason can rule
What does Motto say about love?
Seneca maintained that love is rational + should be practiced often
What does Seneca recognise?
The place of desire in the system because it’s needed for reproduction
What helps keeps desire controlled?
Reason and abstinence of alcohol
What does Seneca say about animalism?
Our mind is what sets us apart from animals - so engaging in pleasure is animalistic
What would desire do if it was good?
Place animals at the top of the hierarchy, then humans, then god
What did Seneca say about slavery? Where did he say this?
Was appalled that Romans call anyone slaves when they themselves are ‘slaves of their lust + gluttony’
~ On Benefits
What was Seneca uncomfortable with?
Uncomfortable w slavery bc they’re humans too
What does Gloyn say?
Amor is rational + under control yet affectus must be avoided
Who says Seneca maintained that love is rational + should be practised often?
Motto
What is amor?
Rational, love of the soul + intellect
What is affectus?
Irrational, love gone mad; the body
Where does Seneca contradict?
At 1 point accepts desire as another appetite that needs to be satisfied e.g. thirst/hunger
Elsewhere he disagrees
What does Gloyn say Seneca aimed for?
A settled balanced existence”
What does Seneca say desire is?
Condemns desire as a form of unnatural excess
How do women take a rebellion against nature?
Female sexuality esp when women take a penetrative role in sex, dressing like men + masculine roles
What does Seneca say about Hostios Quadra (quote)?
“His mirrors on every wall, so he could be the audience for his own outrageous crimes against nature”
What does Seneca seem unconvinced by?
Unconvinced by the fact that reason can master passion
What couple does Seneca refer to in ‘On Marriage’?
The couple were so passionately in love w each other that they’d only drink from a shared cup + the man wore his wife’s clothes in public
What may “if you want to be loved, then love” reflect?
Reflects stoic need for clear self control; initiating a relationship means you can have more control over guiding it
What does Seneca say the wise man shouldn’t value?
The wise man shouldn’t value anything external to himself, incl fam + friends
“He considers everything good to be bounded within himself”
What does Gloyn say about stoicism?
“Bc stoicism suggests that every human has an equal potential for virtue, there’s a sense of gender equality at the heart of the philosophy”
What does Gloyn say Seneca wanted to build?
Wanted to built lasting, not fleeting relationships
