Seneca immorale?

This study examines the connections between Seneca's philosophical writings and his political career during two key periods of his life--his time as an advisor to Nero, and his retirement. In order to investigate the relationships between Seneca's work of this time (the De Clementia, De Vita Beata, De Beneficiis, his dialogues, and his Epistulae) and the most significant events of these stages in his career, it is necessary to look at the purposes behind Seneca's work: did he use philosophy and ethics in practical politics, and if so, how did he use them? This study describes new perspectives on some of the most notable events of the Neronian era, including the murder of Agrippina, the great fire of Rome, and the Pisonian conspiracy. It also takes a new approach in analyzing the struggle between different cultural and political paradigms, particularly the Augustan paradigm (strongly supported by Seneca) and the model of Alexander.