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Seneca's Ancient Fix for the Attention Crisis

opinion-review · 2026-07-12

In a New York Times opinion piece, philosopher Seneca's advice from his 'Letters From a Stoic' is cited as a solution to modern attention problems: focus on one idea per day. The article draws a parallel between ancient Roman scrolling of papyrus and today's digital distractions.

Key facts

  • Seneca was a philosopher in ancient Rome.
  • He wrote 'Letters From a Stoic'.
  • His advice: devote attention to one idea a day.
  • The article is from The New York Times.
  • Published July 12, 2026.
  • It compares papyrus scrolling to modern digital scrolling.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

  • The New York Times

Locations

  • Rome
  • Italy

Sources