Bio
Lucius Annaeus Seneca (c. 4 BC - AD 65), known as Seneca the Younger, was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, and dramatist. Born in Corduba (modern Cordoba, Spain), he was educated in Rome and rose to prominence as an orator and writer. After a period of exile under Emperor Claudius, he returned to Rome and served as tutor and adviser to Nero, where he attempted to steer the empire toward moderation.
Seneca's essays and the Letters to Lucilius shaped Stoicism into a practical philosophy for daily life. He wrote about anger, grief, time, wealth, and the cultivation of virtue, urging readers to align reason with nature and to meet adversity with steadiness. He is often counted among the three most influential Roman Stoic philosophers, alongside Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius. As a public figure, he tried to apply those ideals in governance, advocating clemency and restraint even while navigating the dangers of imperial politics.
Accused of involvement in the Pisonian conspiracy, he was ordered to take his own life in AD 65. His synthesis of moral counsel and lived example helped preserve Stoic thought in the Latin tradition and influenced later ethics, from Renaissance humanists to modern writers on resilience and character.