Letters from a Stoic

Seneca refers to the divine throughout his letters, here often translated as “God” or “Jupiter” but also known by the name “logos.” This being was the supreme providence of the Stoic universe, its role compared to that of a sculptor making a statue. By the “active” divine will, otherwise “passive” matter is moved into line with the divine’s plans.

While also a creator deity, the Stoic god is notably different than that of the Abrahamic religions. Stoicism equates God with the totality of the universe, identified often with nature and always immanent. Accordingly, one becomes closer to God not through prayer but through the study of reason. This is one reason why The Pursuit of Wisdom is so essential: Through understanding reason and the divine laws by which God creates the universe, the Stoic becomes closer to the ultimate rational force.

For the Stoics, the soul is the essence of an individual’s identity. It encompasses their capacity for rational thought and moral improvement and is a divine gift that marks humans out as different than animals. When describing the soul, Seneca says, “God is near you, is with you, is inside you […] there resides within us a divine spirit, which guards us and watches us in the evil and good we do” (86).

While the soul is fundamentally connected to a person, it cannot be impacted by external influences. Only through cultivating the key Stoic virtues of wisdom, courage, self-control, and justice can it be improved, and only through improving the soul can humans become good. Due to this, Seneca urges people to avoid wasting undue time on external improvement of bodily condition or social status and to focus their efforts on internal betterment instead.

Central to Stoic belief is the view that “virtue” is the only good. Virtue encompasses wisdom, courage, self-control, and justice; living with it involves acting with reason and adherence to natural laws. Seneca stresses the importance of pursuing virtue on a daily basis, which entails making ethical choices, exercising self-discipline, and maintaining a sense of inner tranquility and integrity even in the face of external pressures or temptations. Seneca emphasizes the importance of virtue to attaining true happiness and fulfillment, arguing that living in alignment with virtue leads to a life of meaning, purpose, and inner peace. One who has achieved virtue is referred to as the “wise man.”