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John Vespasian

JOHN VESPASIAN is the author of eighteen books, including “When everything fails, try this” (2009), “Rationality is the way to happiness” (2009), “The philosophy of builders” (2010), “The 10 principles of rational living” (2012), “Rational living, rational working” (2013), “Consistency: The key to permanent stress relief” (2014), “On becoming unbreakable” (2015), “Thriving in difficult times” (2016), “Causality: Aristotle’s life and ideas” (2024), “Foresight: Schopenhauer’s life and ideas” (2024),

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All Episodes

00:05:59

What Seneca got wrong about human nature

John Vespasian ·

2026/04/24

Instead of endless abstract discussions, I prefer philosophers to cut to the chase and give me an example of their theories. If the example is convincing, I may explore their theories further. On the other hand, if the example doesn’t make sense, I will no longer care what that philosopher claims to know. If a plan cannot be put into practice, I don’t want to waste time studying the details. Seneca came up with excellent, deep insights in many areas, but from time to time, he got completely lost. In

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00:08:08

Seneca on personal fulfilment

John Vespasian ·

2026/04/24

In his Letters to Lucilius and essays, Seneca gave a detailed recipe for personal fulfilment. His insights can be applied still today. I am going to summarize them in the next paragraphs. When necessary, I am adapting Seneca’s ideas to our century. The search for personal fulfilment is a lifetime mission. It is not a quick fix that will take us to a plateau of permanent, uninterrupted happiness. Even with the best of luck, each person has to face adversity from time to time. It is unrealistic to

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00:08:42

A summary of Seneca’s advice on personal fulfilment

John Vespasian ·

2026/04/24

High productivity depends on quality-consciousness. There is simply no other way to sell sizeable amounts of products and services at a profit. If we do not deliver quality, customers are going to complain, and we will have to devote our resources to satisfying those complaints. Thus if we want to achieve our goals in business and private activities, we need to pay attention to every step of the process. By carrying out every step correctly, we can move steadily in the right direction, without

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00:06:53

Seneca on finding joy in solitude

John Vespasian ·

2026/04/24

Compared to Ancient Greece and Rome, people nowadays can easily choose to be as lonely or as gregarious as they wish. Our ability to give shape to our lifestyle is much larger than in the times of Aristotle (384-322 BC) or Seneca. However, the benefits that we can draw from solitude have not changed through the centuries. I find Seneca’s observations in this respect particularly insightful. In his own life, Seneca went through periods of solitude and periods of gregariousness. Those periods were

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00:05:41

Why Michel de Montaigne had no impact on early modern...

John Vespasian ·

2026/04/22

I am always puzzled when I see historians or philosophers put forward theories for which the evidence is rather thin. Even if they write a treatise about their theory, readers will ask to see the evidence, the facts, the clues. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) produced a compelling collection of essays, but historians have exaggerated his impact on early modern philosophy; their arguments are so far-fetched that I regard them as self-refuting. Why do I contest Montaigne’s philosophical impact? I do

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00:06:38

Michel de Montaigne’s impact on early modern philosophy

John Vespasian ·

2026/04/22

Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) had zero impact on early modern philosophy because his great merit was to look to the past, not to the future. As a result, Montaigne developed a new, fresh, truly modern mentality that put him decades ahead of his literary peers. When Montaigne looked at history, mostly antique history, he picked up ideas and facts that he found useful. He was very familiar with the doctrines of Pyrrho (360-270 BC) and Sextus Empiricus (160-210 AD), but adopted only a mild version of

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00:06:39

Michel de Montaigne’s contribution to early modern...

John Vespasian ·

2026/04/22

When asked about someone’s contribution to philosophy, I reply by giving a list of his innovations. I want to underline the new concepts that he brought forth, the intellectual connections that nobody else had made until that point. In the case of Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), I couldn’t point to any innovation. He didn’t put forward any new concept nor did he make any new intellectual connection. Thus, I don’t share the view that he contributed to early modern philosophy. Montaigne is an

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00:06:56

Michel de Montaigne’s impact on French literature and...

John Vespasian ·

2026/04/22

In assessing cultural influences, I find it more conclusive to look at philosophical values than at anecdotes and artifices of style. Thinkers leave behind ethical systems to live by, and the very best of those thinkers build intellectual systems to support their values. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) belongs to the group that left behind ethical guidelines, practical and tangible, but roving and disorderly. Why? Because he cared for finding the path to happiness, but not for the implicit

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00:07:15

Why Seneca praised solitude

John Vespasian ·

2026/04/20

Few philosophers in history have analysed the advantages, disadvantages, and consequences of solitude. Seneca is one of those few. I regard his observations and advice in this area as particularly worthy. Seneca wrote the essay “On the Tranquillity of the Soul” precisely to explain how to achieve peace of mind. Solitude is one of his prescriptions, but we must first grasp how to benefit from it. We must first learn to employ solitude to increase our self-reliance and self-confidence. Modern readers

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00:07:31

Seneca’s quotes about anger

John Vespasian ·

2026/04/20

There is a perfect recipe for never getting angry or annoyed. If we stop caring and become indifferent, we won’t experience irritation when things don’t go our way. The problem with this recipe is that it will also destroy our motivation for achieving success and happiness. Seneca reflected extensively about the cause of anger and irritation. He viewed those as the root of evil and violence in general. He wrote that, if we steer away from anger and keep a cool head, we will do ourselves a great

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00:05:31

Why should one read Seneca today?

John Vespasian ·

2026/04/20

The question assumes that people are still reading books in our century, instead of watching movies, playing video-games, or practising sports. Indeed, a percentage of the population still enjoys reading. Those are the only ones who purchase books. Thus, the question is wrongly formulated. Instead of asking why we should read Seneca today, I should have asked why we should read Seneca’s books instead of books by other authors. My answer entails two aspects. First, Seneca is giving a detailed,

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00:06:17

The main benefits from reading Seneca today

John Vespasian ·

2026/04/20

Few people read books written a hundred years ago. Even fewer show interest in books written two thousand years ago. I am one of those exceptions, one of the few who regularly devotes time to reading Seneca. I love reading Seneca’s essays and his Letters to Lucilius because they deliver one important benefit: They prompt me to reassess my priorities. Seneca’s insights give me the strength to quit unpromising projects, concentrate on the key objectives, and use my time more productively. In his 5th

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00:06:30

Michel de Montaigne’s relevance today

John Vespasian ·

2026/04/17

Before devoting time to reading a classical work, it is fair to ask about its relevance today. Why should I devote my energy to reading a classic? What lessons can I possibly learn from an author who lived centuries ago? Michel de #montaigne (1533-1592) is one of the few classics that passes this test with flying colours. What is the relevance level of his works today? My answer is: hundred per cent; each time that I re-read his essays, I learn new things; I mean useful, #practical things, not empty

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00:05:42

Why Michel de Montaigne remains relevant today

John Vespasian ·

2026/04/17

Until recently, society used to hold old individuals in high regard. It was recognised that wisdom comes from experience, and that learning from other people’s mistakes is more practical than making our own. Michel de #montaigne (1533-1592) made it his life’s mission to compile the wisdom of the past. He devoted twenty years of his life to writing essays, condensing the wisdom of #aristotle (384-322 BC), #seneca (4 BC-65 AD), and other ancient Greek and Roman sources. It is fair to ask whether the

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00:15:01

Happiness and Aristotle’s theory of the soul

John Vespasian ·

2026/04/16

The process of philosophical development is similar to the process of learning to walk after you have suffered an injury. It takes lots of training for your muscles to work properly and in a coordinated manner. The learning process can prove tough, but works fine if you are willing to put in the hours; there are ways to accelerate and shorten the process, and from those ways, the most effective is the comparison of concepts between various philosophers. Comparisons will help you understand aspects

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00:13:43

Critics of Aristotle’s views on politics and governance

John Vespasian ·

2026/04/16

#aristotle ’s views on politics and #governance can be summed up in a few sentences: depending on the number of rulers (one, a few, everybody), political systems for the #commongood can be classified into monarchies, aristocracies, and polities. When rulers abuse their power, those three systems shall be named tyranny, oligarchy, and democracy. In order to prevent abuse of power, Aristotle advised to distribute power amongst the monarch, the aristocracy, and the people. The two paragraphs above

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00:07:31

What Seneca taught about dealing with failure

John Vespasian ·

2026/04/14

In the next paragraphs, I am going to summarise the advice from #seneca about dealing with failure. He devoted a couple of decades to compiling his advice, not only from his personal experience, but also from other notable persons in the early Roman Empire. Seneca called for keeping adequate margins of error. I mean having a backup plan or sufficient resources to keep us above water even if the worst possible risks materialise. There is no need to become a paranoiac. It’s enough if we make a fair

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00:06:56

Seneca’s thoughts on revenge

John Vespasian ·

2026/04/14

Most philosophers get it wrong about revenge, and #seneca was no exception. In his essays titled “On Anger” and “On Clemency,” he recommended to forget #injury and insult, and abandon the #idea of revenge. Seneca gave extensive #arguments against revenge when conceived as warlike. He said that, if we seek revenge, we’ll become “slaves to our passions.” He categorised revengeful individuals as irrational, short-sighted, and self-destructive. His essay “On Anger” shows the problems generated by

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00:08:05

Was Seneca wrong about revenge?

John Vespasian ·

2026/04/14

Let us beware of people who preach passivity because they might be trying to slow us down. If they have already taken advantage of the situation, they might be preaching resignation to prevent their victims from taking action. Seneca condemned revenge, but did his idea of revenge also include creative, peaceful solutions? When he wrote about revenge, he meant bitterness, aggression and chaos. I tend to think that his conception was aggressive and warlike. If we give revenge a narrow definition, it

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00:08:18

Seneca on dealing with betrayal

John Vespasian ·

2026/04/14

#forgiveness has become the universal recipe for betrayal, at least theoretically. Moral leaders tell their flock to forget what they have suffered, purify their hearts, and move on with their lives. In the early Roman Empire, #seneca was the most notable #philosopher to preach forgiveness as a recipe for dealing with betrayal. His recommendations are close to those formulated by Christianity. Actually, I should categorise Seneca’s recommendations as “how to cope with betrayal,” not “how to deal

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