The Stoic Jew

How to Make Bad Food Taste Good (Seneca: Letter #123 - On the Conflict Between Pleasure and Virtue)

April 12, 2021 Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss Season 4 Episode 1
The Stoic Jew
How to Make Bad Food Taste Good (Seneca: Letter #123 - On the Conflict Between Pleasure and Virtue)
Show Notes

Synopsis: We’re back for Season 4 of The Stoic Jew podcast! In today’s episode we hear Seneca’s strategy for making his bad bread taste good – a strategy which is also taught by Shlomo ha’Melech in Mishlei. Although it may look like both of them are advocating asceticism, they are really doing the opposite: showing you how to maximize pleasure in the physical world by focusing your efforts on your inner world, which is the only thing that is truly within your control.

Sources:
- Seneca, Letter #123: On the Conflict Between Pleasure and Virtue
- Mishlei 17:1
- Avos 6:4
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If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.
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Stoic texts:
The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius
Letters from a Stoic Master (Seneca)
The Discourses of Epictetus
The Enchiridion (Handbook) of Epictetus
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