De Providentia (On Providence) is a short dialogue written by the Latin philosopher Lucio Anneo Seneca (also known as Seneca the younger) in the last years of his life. He choses the dialogging form (as in the known Plato's work) to deal with the problem about the co-existence of the stoic providence design with the evil existing in the world. The term dialogue (or dialog) expresses basically reciprocal conversation between two or more persons. ... Latin is the language that was originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... A philosopher is a person devoted to studying and producing results in philosophy. ... Seneca has several significant meanings: Seneca the Elder Seneca the Younger Seneca tribe Seneca crater Seneca (plant) Seneca College, Toronto, Ontario Places in the United States of America: Seneca, Pennsylvania Seneca, South Carolina Seneca, Wisconsin Seneca County, New York Seneca, New York Seneca Lake Seneca Falls (village), New York Senecaville... Statue of a philosopher, presumely Plato, in Delphi. ... Stoicism is a school of philosophy commonly associated with such Greek philosophers as Zeno of Citium, Cleanthes, or Chrysippus and with such later Romans as Cicero, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, and Epictetus. ...

The dialogue is open by Lucilius complaining with his friend Seneca that adversities and misfortunes can happen to good men too. How can this fit with the goodness connected with the providence design? Seneca answers according to the stoic point of view. Nothing actually bad can happen to the good men (the wise man) because opposite don't mix. What looks like adversity is in fact a mean by which the man exerts his virtues. As such, he can come out of the ordeal stronger than before. So, in perfect sintony with the stoicism philosophy, Seneca explains as the truly wise man can never surrender in front of the misfortunes but as he will always go through them and even if he should fall he will continue fighting on his knees ("si cecidit de genu pugnat"). The wise man understands the destiny and his design and so he has nothing to fear from the future; but he has neither noting to hope because he already has everything he needs: his good behaviuour. The conclusion is that actually nothing bad happens to good men if we understand what bad means: bad for the wise man would be have bad thoughtts, to do crimes to desire money or fame. Who always behaves wisely already has all the good possible. Stoicism is a school of philosophy commonly associated with such Greek philosophers as Zeno of Citium, Cleanthes, or Chrysippus and with such later Romans as Cicero, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, and Epictetus. ... Philosophy (from a combination of the Greek words philos meaning love and sophia meaning wisdom), as a practice, aims at some kind of understanding, knowledge, or wisdom about fundamental matters such as reality, knowledge, meaning, value, being, and truth. ...