Seneca (ca. 4 BCE–65 CE) was a Stoic philosopher and Roman statesman. His writings explore a wide range of ethical topics and preach the Stoic doctrine that virtuous action is the highest good. James S. Romm is the James H. Ottaway Jr. Professor of Classics at Bard College. He is the author of many books, including Plato and the Tyrant, and is the editor and translator of Seneca’s How to Die, How to Give, and How to Keep Your Cool (all Princeton). He writes frequently for The New York Review of Books and The Wall Street Journal.