Socrates and the Stoics

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A widespread caricature of the Stoic idea of wisdom look something like: "Don't waste time on reading, thinking and discussing. Just go out and do the right thing". That's very far from Seneca's conception of wisdom - according to which wisdom requires extensive studies of the laws of life. "Wisdom is a great and extensive thing; it needs space; one must learn about matters divine and human, about the past and future, about transient and eternal matters, about time" - Seneca, Letters 88.33 "the condition of the mind will not be in its best state unless it has understood the laws of life in its entirety" - Seneca, Letters 95.57 

It's easy to get the impression from Seneca's writings, that wisdom equals practical wisdom - that the goal of wisdom is simply to give us control over our passions and, thus, peace of mind. This is not the case. We can only call us wise when: "We have achieved knowledge of the universe. We know the origins of nature’s development, how it organizes the world, through what changes it restores the year, and how it contains all that will ever be and makes itself its own goal. We know that the stars move by their own force, that nothing besides the earth is stationary, and that the remaining bodies proceed with unceasing speed. We know how the moon overtakes the sun and why, though it is slower, it leaves what is faster behind; we know how the moon receives or loses its light, and the causes that bring on night and restore day" - Seneca, Letters 93.9 For, as Seneca says, "The virtue to which we aspire is marvelous not because freedom from evil is in itself wonder...

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"Every day, then, should be treated as though it were bringing up the rear, as though it were the consummation and fulfillment of one’s life." - Seneca, Letters 12.8 " Anyone who has said, “I have done living” rises profitably each morning, having gained one day." - Seneca, Letters 12.9 In my opinion, there's a huge difference between living as if each day is what makes our life complete and living as if each day is an added bonus to a life that was already complete when we woke up. From the first point of view, our life is both not complete when we begin the day and also assumed to be only completed if we live through the entire new day. Since the core mission of Stoicism is to teach us how to be happy always and at any moment, this point of view does not seem to align with Stoicism at all. The second point of view seems to be much healthier and truly Stoic.