91桃色

In his essay 鈥淥n Anger鈥� (De Ira), the Roman Stoic thinker Seneca (c. 4 BC鈥�65 AD) argues that anger is the most destructive passion: 鈥淣o plague has cost the human race more dear.鈥� This was proved by his own life, which he barely preserved under one wrathful emperor, Caligula, and lost under a second, Nero. This splendid new translation of essential selections from 鈥淥n Anger,鈥� presented with an enlightening introduction and the original Latin on facing pages, offers readers a timeless guide to avoiding and managing anger. It vividly illustrates why the emotion is so dangerous and why controlling it would bring vast benefits to individuals and society.

Drawing on his great arsenal of rhetoric, including historical examples (especially from Caligula鈥檚 horrific reign), anecdotes, quips, and soaring flights of eloquence, Seneca builds his case against anger with mounting intensity. Like a fire-and-brimstone preacher, he paints a grim picture of the moral perils to which anger exposes us, tracing nearly all the world鈥檚 evils to this one toxic source. But he then uplifts us with a beatific vision of the alternate path, a path of forgiveness and compassion that resonates with Christian and Buddhist ethics.

Seneca鈥檚 thoughts on anger have never been more relevant than today, when uncivil discourse has increasingly infected public debate. Whether seeking personal growth or political renewal, readers will find, in Seneca鈥檚 wisdom, a valuable antidote to the ills of an angry age.

Ideas Podcast: What do the ancients have to teach us?