ABSTRACT
Seneca is one of the most significant authors of 1st century Rome. His collection of letters (Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium) is addressed to an adult named Lucilius and they echo the major developments and doctrines of Stoic philosophy at the time. Their didactic character and advice on moral issues that include personal development and cultivation makes Seneca’s Letters an early practice of adult education. As such, this chapter applies Mezirow’s transformative learning theory as a lens for reading and analysing Seneca’s views. Although not theorized, the concept of one’s transformation is present in Seneca’s philosophy and in many ways, it can be paralleled with Mezirow’s pedagogy. The steps and the progress towards one’s transformation are defined differently, yet they bear striking similarities. Their parallel analysis sheds new light to Seneca’s progress to wisdom, while it offers new possibilities for developing and applying Mezirow’s pedagogical model.
