Should the Aspiring Wise Man Travel? A Conflict in Seneca's Thought

Bibliographic Data

ID23162575
AuthorsSilvia Montiglio (corresponding author)
Year2006
Volume127
Issue4
Pages553-586
Publication date2006-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe American Journal of Philology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9475 • E-ISSN: 1086-3168
PublisherProject MUSE (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1353/ajp.2007.0006
OpenAlexW1968821647
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited24

This article examines the connection between traveling and wisdom in Seneca's writings. It argues that Seneca is ambivalent vis-Ã -vis traveling: on the one hand, he deems the activity unnecessary or even dangerous, insofar as it is at odds with mental focus and challenges the ideal of happiness as "home" (domestica felicitas); on the other, he admires those who travel for the sake of knowledge and connects the mobility of the body with the "cosmic flight" of the mind. In line with a long-established tradition, Seneca views travel as the first step towards philosophical inquiry. The ambivalence extends to the assessment of imperialistic use of travel. Though Seneca loudly condemns it as a manifestation of greed, he also shows admiration for several Roman conquerors.

Admiration · Aesthetics · Ambivalence · Art · Epistemology · Focus (optics) · Happiness · Ideal (ethics) · Literature · Odds · Psychoanalysis · Classical Antiquity Studies · Classical Philosophy and Thought · Computer Science · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology

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