Virtud y voluptuosidad: la figura de Epicuro en el Essai sur les règnes de Claude et de Néron, et sur les mœurs et les écrits de Sénèque de Diderot

Diderot’s defense of Epicurus’ philosophy in one of his last writings, Essai sur les règnes de Claude et de Néron, et sur les mœurs et les écrits de Sénèque, seems to distance him from the purpose he has in that work, namely, defending Seneca’s image. The aim of this article is to show that, despite what it may appear at first, the problem is only apparent. In the light of this issue, the paper also examines two other themes that cause tensions in the text and jeopardize its structure. In a broader sense, the article sheds some light on the reception of Epicurus’ and Seneca’s works in the 18th century.