Roman emperor and philosopherMany Romans disliked philosopherThe empire produced eminent philosopher
Roman emperor and philosopherMany Romans disliked philosopherThe empire produced eminent philosophers such as Seneca and Marcus Aurelius. Yet some Romans were hostile to philosophy for two main reasons: first, it was a Greek invention, and the Greeks were a conquered race - Roman attitudes to the Greeks were very mixed. Second, the study of philosophy, with its hair - splitting definitions and it’s concentration on the inner man, could be considered to unfit a man for an active life that would serve the state.The latter view had long been held by some Greeks. Galen, the doctor to the imperial court, remarked that the Romans regarded philosophy as being of no more use than drilling holes in millet seeds. -- source link