José Joaquim Pereira Melo

The Pedagogical Character of Senekian Philosophy José Joaquim Pereira Melo

This book aims to reflect on the pedagogical character of philosophy in Seneca (4 BC-65 AD). It sought to analyze the Senekian Stoic understanding of education, human nature, the supreme good and the role of philosophy in human formation. In Seneca, man is conceived as a corporeal and spiritual being, so he is the bearer of a fragile nature and susceptible to the evils of this life, but he is also the possessor of a superior attribute, human reason. By living according to his own nature, man can attain the supreme good, namely, the virtuous life, happiness and perfection. Now, therein lies his pedagogical optimism, the possibility of human regeneration from the formative process of self-education. This regeneration is possible thanks to education and philosophy, so that they concretize the formation of the ideal Senekian man, the wise man. Therefore, this research is relevant to the area of studies of academic productions, especially from an analysis focused on the studies of philosophy and education in antiquity.