Seneca’s sick body between evidentia and parenesis

Abstract

The article examines the last three years of Seneca’s life, who after his political failure, chooses a secluded life, dedicating himself entirely to philosophy. In this introspection the author focuses on the suffering of his own body, sick and vulnerable, to demonstrate that illness can be endured if not defeated by the strength of the soul if constantly trained in philosophical reflection. Some of the Moral Letters to Lucilius are examined (8, 26, 27, 53, 54, 78), in which Seneca brings into play the habitual practice of self-examination and dialogue to deal with his sick body in a narrative way, to the point that more than autobiography one can speak of an ‘autopathography’. To recount his physical pain and share it with others with the effective clarity that ethical parenesis demands, Seneca delves into medical texts (De medicina by Celsus; Compositiones medicamentorum by Scribonius Largo, outreach activities of illustrious exponents of the various medical schools present in Rome)