Seneca: Of Anger Book 1 - (Audiobook & Summary)

Video Description

De Ira (On Anger) is a Latin work by Seneca (4 BC–65 AD). The work defines and explains anger within the context of Stoic philosophy, and offers therapeutic advice on how to prevent and control anger. (Note to YouTube: This is my own recording, it is not taken from anywhere else. I retain the copyright) Translated by Aubrey Stewart https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Of_Anger/Book_I Buy the book: http://geni.us/AmazonOfAnger (affiliate link) *Donation Links* Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/RobinHomer BTC: bc1qcwzyyttaf6td6lgk8cmtcq2qkp0s5l2uwmuume BCH: qz4hhzc5mvklv25ntktza66s3sqfttsfnqpcfelkdw Notes: I: Anger is a type of madness. II: Anger has caused great harm to mankind III: Anger is unique to humans, animals do not possess true anger. IV: There are many forms of Anger. Irascibility is a general proneness to anger. V: Anger contradicts all of man’s benevolent qualities such as gentleness, affection and mutual assistance and is therefore not in accordance with nature. VI: Sometimes punishment is necessary. But the purpose of punishment is to correct or heal someone’s behaviour, not to harm them. Anger seeks only to harm so is no necessary for punishment. VII: You shouldn’t attempt to harness anger. Reason is only strong when separate from the passions. Once anger grows it will overpower reason and you will be a slave to it. VIII: “The best plan is to reject straightway the first incentives to anger.” IX: If reason is stronger than anger then you don’t need anger, if reason is weaker than anger then it will be overpowered by it. So either anger is useless or uncontrollable. X: If anger is more powerful than reason, the only way to control it is to set against it a more powerful vice such as fear. Wherefore reason is in the position of flying for aid to vices! XI: Anger does not benefit you in war. You want your attacks to be thought out and orderly, anger is prone to rashness. XII: You can choose to protect or avenge someone out of duty, you don’t need anger to do so. It is also more honourable since you’re doing it from deliberate judgement and not from impulse. The fact that on occasion anger may have done good does not make it a good, any more than a shipwreck benefiting someone makes shipwrecks good. XIII: Good qualities become better the stronger they are. Take anger to its extreme and it’s obviously not a good quality. Anger does not assist courage, but takes its place, you’ll note it’s often the weak who are the angriest. XIV: Good men should not hate bad men or acts. It is error that leads to bad acts, it makes no sense to hate error. Further you’d end up hating yourself in that case since you also err. XV: Hating a man because he errs is like hating a sick man because he is ill. When you punish someone, it should be for their good, not to satisfy your desires. XVI: Anger should play no part in punishment. Punishment should be reasoned and impartial. XVII: Anger is not a weapon because it cannot be put down at will. XVIII: Anger is a terrible judge. It is inconsistent, hasty and can invent crimes where none exist. XIX: Irascibility avoids truth because remaining angry feels good. Reason is the better judge. “no wise man punishes any one because he has sinned, but that he may sin no more” XX: Anger affects those of weak minds XXI: There is therefore nothing great or noble in anger #Stoicism #Seneca #INTPWorld