Seneca's Treatise on Benefits: Real Kindness and Real Agency

Margaret Graver (Dartmouth College)

Several times a year, at the The New England Symposium on Ancient Philosophy, a New England-affiliated scholar working on Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy presents work-in-progress for discussion over Zoom.  

Our February meeting will take place on Thursday, February 17 at 4:30 EST and will be a discussion of Margaret Graver's "Seneca's Treatise on Benefits: Real Kindness and Real Agency."
Here is Margaret's description of her paper:  

• While the central concept of Stoic ethics was the appropriate action or kathēkon, considerable philosophical attention was also given to the act of kindness (euergēsia), that is, the supererogatory favor. Seneca's surviving treatise presents the Stoic analysis and explores a set of interrelated puzzles raised by it. Issues of agency and volition are especially prominent, in ways that have implications also for the larger Stoic theory of action.

At the meeting, Margaret will give a short introduction to her paper and then we will turn to discussion.

The discussion will presuppose that participants have read the paper in advance of the session. The paper and Zoom link will be distributed to participants via email.  To allow yourself time to complete the reading, please register at least 48 hours prior to the event.  

You can register for this and other events on our website at https://www.newenglandsymposiumonancientphilosophy.com/.