In the middle of a discussion of comets Seneca gives us this nugget about the human mind:
"there are many things that we admit exist, but we do not know what they are like. Everybody will agree that we have a mind, by whose commands we are driven on and called back. But what the mind is, this controller and master of ours, no one will explain to you, any more than he will explain where it is: one person will say that it is breath, another that it is a kind of harmony, another that it is a divine power, a portion of god, another that it is the finest part of the soul, another that it is an incorporeal power; someone will be found to say it is blood or heat. So far from being able to acquire a clear grasp of other things, the mind is still trying to understand itself".
- Seneca, Natural questions 7.25.1
One mind interpreted by another. Roman-era Fayum mummy portrait from Egypt.
The quote is from Harry Hines' wonderful translation of "Natural questions" published by Chicago University Press in 2010 as part of the series "The complete works of Lucius Annaeus Seneca" ed. by Elizabeth Asmis, Shadi Bartsch and Martha C. Nussbaum.
Great, Ike! I highly recommend Gareth Williams' book about it - called "The Cosmic Viewpoint". Also, there is a great online commentary on book 3 here:
Gareth Williams has written a very extensive article on the relationship between "Natural questions" and the letters in the anthology "Seneca Philosophus" edited by Jula Wildberger. The article is called "Double Vision and Cross- Reading in Seneca's Epistulae Morales and Naturales Quaestiones".
Brad Inwood has written a great article about "Natural questions" which can be found in his book "Reading Seneca". The article is called: Good and Human Knowledge in Seneca's Natural Questions".
In that anything has a chance to understand itself, I give the human mind the best shot in the known universe, but I'm not terribly optimistic. It's hard enough understanding our bodies.
The quote is from Harry Hines' wonderful translation of "Natural questions" published by Chicago University Press in 2010 as part of the series "The complete works of Lucius Annaeus Seneca" ed. by Elizabeth Asmis, Shadi Bartsch and Martha C. Nussbaum.
Thank you, just bought it. Looking forward to the whole series.
Ike
Great, Ike! I highly recommend Gareth Williams' book about it - called "The Cosmic Viewpoint". Also, there is a great online commentary on book 3 here:
https://oberlinclassics.com/seneca-naturales-quaestiones-3-bibliography/
Gareth Williams has written a very extensive article on the relationship between "Natural questions" and the letters in the anthology "Seneca Philosophus" edited by Jula Wildberger. The article is called "Double Vision and Cross- Reading in Seneca's Epistulae Morales and Naturales Quaestiones".
Brad Inwood has written a great article about "Natural questions" which can be found in his book "Reading Seneca". The article is called: Good and Human Knowledge in Seneca's Natural Questions".
Harry Hines introduction to his own translation is also superb :-)
Beautiful wow✨💖
In that anything has a chance to understand itself, I give the human mind the best shot in the known universe, but I'm not terribly optimistic. It's hard enough understanding our bodies.