Seneca: How NOT To Die Every Day | Interview with James Romm

00:00 Welcome + Why Seneca Still Matters (books as “medicine for the soul”)
04:39 Was Nero’s Court Really That Bad?
06:16 Seneca’s Early Life & Formation (Spain, rhetoric, early Stoicism)
09:03 Stoicism Then vs Now (logos, virtue, indifferents)
11:54 Illness, Time & “Meditatio Mortis” (asthma, rehearsal for death)
15:16 Exile to Corsica & Consolations (writing to Helvia; signaling the palace)
19:21 How Power Worked in Rome (Senate vs emperor; Julio-Claudians)
23:14 Agrippina & Making of Nero (why Seneca was recalled)
25:44 Inside the Tutorship: Rhetoric over Philosophy
31:45 “On Mercy”: Branding a Young Emperor (whitewashing Britannicus?)
36:57 The Claudius Satire (Apocolocyntosis)—court bonding, propaganda
41:53 “On Anger”: Therapy Amid Court Chaos
45:06 Wealth vs Virtue—Seneca’s Hardest Paradox
51:00 Point of No Return: Matricide (Nero’s turn; Seneca distances)
52:09 The Forced Suicide: How Seneca Died (Tacitus’ account)
55:51 Would Seneca Approve of This Portrait?
57:11 What to Read Next (Princeton “Ancient Wisdom” series; Romm’s picks)
59:06 Plato & the Tyrant—Parallels to Seneca/Nero
1:00:01 Closing & Thanks

How do you survive the court of a tyrant?

In this interview, classicist Dr. James Romm discusses his book Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero—a gripping portrait of Stoic philosophy stress-tested inside imperial power. We explore Seneca’s survival strategies as Nero’s adviser: what he taught, what he compromised, and what we can learn about living under volatile authority today. 

You’ll learn:
🏛️ The real Seneca–Nero relationship and how influence rose, then cracked. 🏛️ Why Seneca’s Stoicism is not escapism but a toolkit for ethics under pressure. 
🏛️ Practical takeaways from Dying Every Day for modern life: managing proximity to power, drawing red lines, and preparing for moral tests. 

If you’re into Stoicism, ancient Rome, leadership ethics, or resilience under bad bosses, this conversation is for you. For more on Seneca and Nero, see other Romm interviews and lectures that frame the political context and contemporary relevance. 

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🎧 Podcast (authors & scholars): artidote.uk
📚 Book: Dying Every Day by James Romm :https://amzn.to/4pFC84F