Students’ Questions about History Page 18

Seneca was a Stoic philosopher, statesman, and dramatist from the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was born in Corduba in Hispania, and his father was Seneca the Elder.

There is no definitive answer, and no one can know for sure. Many historians believe that Marcus Aurelius was killed by his own son, Commodus.

A critical analysis or critique of something is a careful and thorough examination of it, in order to understand what it is, how it works, or what it means.

William James Sidis invented the Sidis function and the Sidis distribution.

Thomas Hobbes believed that the main purpose of government is to protect the people from harm. He believed that people are naturally selfish and will do whatever is in their own best interest.

Judith Butler believes that gender is performative, meaning that it is something that is enacted and not something that is innate. She argues that gender is not fixed, but is something that is constantly performed.

The reign of Marcus Aurelius was from 161 to 180 AD.

Thomas Hobbes’ political philosophy had a profound influence on the thinkers of the Enlightenment. In particular, his idea of a social contract between the ruler and the ruled helped to shape the thinking of Enlightenment philosophers like John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

The ideas of Jean Jacques Rousseau can best be characterized as a mix of individualism and collectivism. Rousseau believed that humans are born free and equal, but that society corrupts them.

He believed that the Earth was created by God and that it was perfect.