The Stoics: The Philosophy of Seneca, Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius

Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger was born c. 4 BCE and dies in CE 65. Noted for his writings, which included plays about Medea and Phaedra, he became a tutor and advisor to Emperor Nero, but his influence on him eventually declined and he was exiled to Corsica by Emperor Claudius where he later died. Epictetus (c. 50-c. 135 CE) was born into slavery in Phrygia (then part of Greece, now in western Turkey). With the approval of his Roman master, he gained an education and was later given his freedom after Nero died. Arrian was his most famous pupil and he promoted the words of Epictetus after his death. Marcus Aurelius (121-180 CE) reigned as Emperor of the Roman Empire from 161 until his death. He presided over a relatively peaceful period of the Roman Empire and he wrote Meditations as a source of guidance for himself and an aid to self-improvement.