Horace could not remain a passive observer of his times. Having experienced firsthand the anguish of the civil wars of Roman history and the moral decay that followed, he sought to define what he believed to be a proper modus vivendi for the individual.

This is expressed, according to the author of the book, through biophilosophy, which he reflects upon thoughtfully and with his characteristic rationality, particularly in this book. Therefore, Horace is not only the greatest ancient lyrical poet of Western Europe but, contrary to some old misconceptions rooted in many of us that obscure his true form, it is evident that he is also a significant figure of his morally disordered era, striving to provide his answers to serious problems of human existence.