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WorksheetsLetters on Ethics by Seneca, 1-5
Total questions: 32
Worksheet time: 32mins
Whom Seneca actually addresses in his letters?
His friend Lucilius
Future generations of Stoics
Romans
How can you assert your own freedom?
Go against those who limit your freedom
Get rich
Guard your time
According to Letter 1.3, what is the only thing we possess?
Our time
Our soul
Our life
Every day is a day when we are...
getting old
improving
dying
If you lay hands on [seize] (a) , you will find you are less dependent on tomorrow.
What is the foolishness of mortal beings?
They don't understand the preciousness of time
They engage in vices
They care too much about material possessions
A person is not poor, as long as what little they have left is enough for them.
So how should we act to save more time?
Make plans on how to manage your time better
Start guarding your time as soon as possible
Cancel all unnecessary tasks in your schedule
The first sign of a settled mind is that it can stay in one place and spend time with itself, rather than never resting in one place and wandering around; for such restlessness is the sign of a disordered spirit.
Everywhere means (a) .
What are the dangers of reading many authors and every type of book [in the context of philosophy]?
This makes you distracted and unstable.
What you learn won't stay reliably in your mind.
You will have a better understanding of philosophical ideas.
You won't have enough time to digest what you read.
They put a strain on a person instead of being useful.
What is the school of Epicurus called?
Academy
Lyceum
Garden
Stoa
For Epicurus, (a) is the only rational motivation for human action.
For Epicureans, the most pleasurable existence overall for a human being consists in mental (a) .
According to Epicurus,
"Contented poverty is an honourable asset."
Indeed, it is not poverty if it passes contentedly: the (a) is not the person who has too little but the one who craves for more.
In making friends, Theophrastus advised, "Judge first, then (a) ."
What should we avoid the most when interacting with our genuine friends?
Trusting them completely
Ignoring their faults
Sharing your secrets
Suspecting their loyalty
Some people teach their friends to betray them by their very (a) of betrayal.
According to Letter 3.4, what are the two faults some commit in talking with others?
Sharing what should be kept hidden from strangers
Sharing our secrets
Not trusting even to closest friends
Talking behind other people's backs
Liking to be in the hustle does not mean that one is (a) ; it is only the restlessness of a troubled mind.
Finding every motion and movement a bother does not mean that one is (a) ; it is just inertia, slackness, and idleness.
Consult with (a) : it will tell you that it is made of both day and night.
According to Letter 4.2, what stays with us even when we grow up?
Childhood memories
Childishness
Fear of trivial things
Fear of imagined things
How will we gain a better understanding of avoiding unnecessary fear and anxiety?
Make progress
Plan ahead
Consider future disasters
For the Epicurean, a rational approach to death means recognising that it is logically (a) for those who have died to experience death as painful.
People sometimes despise life for trivial reasons.
True
False
According to Letter 4.6, how will you be able to let go of life with equanimity [contentedly]?
Live a virtuous life
Reflect on death
Achieve inner peace
Reconcile your mind to the possibility of loss
Realise that just as many people have died from the anger of slaves as from the anger of kings. So why should you bother to ___ those who are especially powerful, when everyone possesses the power which inspires your ___?
(a)
Letter 4.9
Take my word for it: since the moment of birth, you have been moving toward your (a) .
What's the Stoic philosopher's way?
To be known as a philosopher
To make constant moral progress
Separate yourself from the conventions of ordinary people
Find a medium between self-indulgence and self-denial
Our aim as the Stoic school is to live in accordance with (a) .
Chasing after delicacies is a sign of self-indulgence; by the same token, avoidance of those comforts that are quite ordinary and easy to obtain is an indication of (a) .
Letter 5.9
Hecaton says, “You will cease to fear if you cease to ___.”
Just as the prisoner and the guard are bound to each other by the same chain, so these two that are so different nonetheless go along together: where ___ goes, fear follows.
(a)
According to Letter 5.8-9, how do we torment ourselves?
We make too many plans for the future
We become complacent with the current situation
Our minds are troubled by the suspense about future
