A casual breakfast with Seneca as David Fideler takes us through the ancient teachings of Stoicism and applies them to our modern-day lives.
Summary
David Fideler looks at the different teachings of Seneca as he reads these ancient texts at breakfast. It is not only a basic view into the life of Seneca, but it gives us a good outline of Stoicism. Using Seneca’s take on this ancient philosophy, which is often wrapped in beautiful prose, gives us an idea of how much of life the Stoics covered. Fideler sprinkles his personal experiences with Stoicism throughout the book, showing us that it has a lot of present-day applications.
This book takes us through topics such as friendship, time, anger, and dealing with death. All these chapters are aimed at the goal of letting the reader understand the value of a philosophy like Stoicism. Not only do we get a glimpse of what life was like in Rome back in Seneca’s time, but it also shows us that we are not that different now.
Review
Breakfast with Seneca is an excellent book to read for someone ready to take their first steps into Stoicism. It touches on everything there is to know without over-complicating the principles. By using real-life examples, David Fideler provides us with proof that Stoicism can be our guide to living better lives today. The outline of the chapters takes us through different and recognizable aspects of life.
What this book did miss, was the other side of Seneca. Although there are some mentions of it, we don’t get the full complexity of this ancient writer. The controversies he faced in his lifetime, for which he had to defend himself as well. This prevents the reader from placing the original texts in their full context. But it doesn’t distract from the value that we can get from this wonderful book.
Recommendation
This is one of the must-read books at the beginning of one’s Stoic journey. Moreover, if you are reading, have read, or will read Seneca’s original texts. Then Breakfast with Seneca offers you that little bit of extra knowledge to appreciate them even more. Plus it sets the scene, and almost gives you no excuse not to apply these teachings.
This book falls in line with How to Be a Stoic by Massimo Pigliucci, where he has conversations with Epictetus. And How to Think Like a Roman Emperor by Donald Robertson, who takes us on a journey through the life of Marcus Aurelius. Making it a book anyone mildly interested in Stoicism, should read or at least add to their reading list.
The perfect book to follow this up with is: Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero. You can read my book review on this one here.
Final thoughts
Breakfast with Seneca is a wonderful addition to the ever-growing library of contemporary Stoic texts. It’s an easy read that simplifies the important and life-changing teachings Stoicism has to offer. We get a decent overview of Seneca’s life and some of the history of his time. But the main power of this book lies in making Stoicism practical for our modern-day readers. Check out the following affiliate link in case you want to get it from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3RHV5U8. Or read more book reviews here.
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