The Relationship Between Knowledge, Virtue and Happiness in Seneca Ethics

Lucius Annaeus Seneca, who lived between B.C. 65 – A.D. 4, is among the founding thinkers of the period called ‘Roman Stoa’ or ‘New Stoa’. The essence of Seneca’s ideas is the synthesized state of many philosophers and school minds before him. Especially, Socrates’ view of knowledge and Kynik’s ideal of living in harmony with nature, deeply influenced him. The defense of the basic ideas of Stoicism, which he is also in, includes a considerable part of his considerations. The Seneca sees philosophy as the principal area to develop and illuminate the spirit, to order life, to answer questions that arise and the means to achieve it is mind. However, in Seneca’s philosophy, moral and political views are more in the foreground. In this article we will investigate his views on morality. We will also try to show that his thoughts correspond more to the individual side of the practical philosophy and that the sine qua non of this life is moral thought. We will also try to evaluate Seneca’s moral thinking, the pursuit of happiness in the cycle of knowledge, virtue and wisdom, and the creation of a new understanding of death. Before going to Seneca’s views on ethics, we will try to give place the general characteristics of the period in which his views are shaped, taking into account the limits of the essay