A More Orderly Nature: Stoic Meteorology and Tides in Seneca’s De Providentia

Abstract

This paper argues that Seneca’s praeteritio on the kosmos at the opening of De providentia suggests that much of the disorder that we detect in the world is a product of our own spatially and temporally limited perspective. To demonstrate this point, Seneca focuses on meteorological phenomena, arguing that even seemingly chaotic occurrences, like earthquakes, obey some order. By drawing an analogy between these events and tidal activity, Seneca suggests that the temporal logic underpinning these phenomena has simply eluded us, and provides valuable insights into the significance of tides for the development of Stoic meteorology.