When Luxuries Masquerade as Necessities (Seneca: Letter #86 - On Scipio's Villa)

Synopsis: In today’s episode we read Seneca’s lengthy comparison of the dingy “old school” Roman baths to the “new” luxurious style, and the habits and aversions of the newer generation to that of the old. It feels like Seneca talking about our present circumstances, albeit with different particulars. And as difficult as it would be for a modern Roman to be content with the old bathing conventions, it is just as difficult for us to give up the luxuries which masquerade as necessities.
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Sources:
- Seneca: Letter #86; click here to access the full text of Seneca's Letter
- Saadia Gaon: Introduction to Sefer Mishlei
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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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