How to Give

An Ancient Guide to Giving and Receiving

By: Seneca, James S. Romm - translator

Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart

Timeless wisdom on generosity and gratitude from the great Stoic philosopher Seneca

To give and receive well may be the most human thing you can do-but it is also the closest you can come to divinity. So argues the great Roman Stoic thinker Seneca in his longest and most searching moral treatise, "On Benefits" (De Beneficiis). James Romm's splendid new translation of essential selections from this work conveys the heart of Seneca's argument that generosity and gratitude are among the most important of all virtues.

For Seneca, the impulse to give to others lies at the very foundation of society; without it, we are helpless creatures, worse than wild beasts. But generosity did not arise randomly or by chance. Seneca sees it as part of our desire to emulate the gods, whose creation of the earth and heavens stands as the greatest gift of all. Seneca's soaring prose captures his wonder at that gift, and expresses a profound sense of gratitude that will inspire today's audiences.

Complete with an enlightening introduction, How to Give is a timeless guide to the profound significance of true generosity.

©2020 Princeton University Press (P)2020 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Q: Why do we want ancient works translated?

A: To hear the words of the ancient people who wrote them, not your subjective modernization.
If you were giving a lecture on the works of Seneca, you have the right to point out whatever you like and dislike about his works, and his time. However, when creating a translation of anyone's writing, it is your moral obligation to create a translation that is as true to the original as possible. The differences between modern and ancient society will make any prejudices obvious.
You have failed future generations who read your work and believe that it is a true translation.

Great recommendations

These are concepts that should introduced in our Education Systems, , these are central to developing

very good ancient wisdom

this series is very enjoyable an full of good knowledge. it is worth listening too and it's done very well. I was able to complete it over the course of a evening.

Great philosophy

Really like the idea here. Narrator is not that great and I think this translation is not true to the original sources. Makes for good pondering but could be much better.