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Epicurus | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 341 BCE Samos |
| Died | 270 BCE Athens |
| School tradition | Epicureanism |
Epicuros was an ancient Greek philosopher born to Neocles and Chaerestrata in Samos, Greece, and is known for founding the school of philosophy Epicureanism, which was built upon the atomic theory of Democritus. His teachings revolve around hedonism, the pursuit of happiness and pleasure, and overcoming fear.[1]
Epicuros adapted Democritus' atomic theory of matter, including the idea that atoms had shape, weight, and size, using this theory as the foundation for his materialist but hedonistic views. As much as he agreed with Democritus, he diverged when it pertained to the senses, as Epicuros viewed that all senses are true.[1]
Teachings[edit | edit source]
Preface[edit | edit source]
Epicuros advocates for a materialist interpretation of the world through his atomist views, alongside his ethics, which are centered on the pursuit of pleasure; however, his materialism is naturalistic and only focuses on the individual.[2]
Epicuros' emphasis on "ataraxia" positions morality as a private pursuit that has no connection to the social relations of production. If we go by Epicurean atomism, we overlook the historical and dialectical dimensions of human relations, and we start viewing history as a succession of events rather than a process moved by socio-economic laws.[2]
Suffering and deprivation are fundamentally linked to one's social relations, e.g., surplus value and private property, but Epicuros views them as an individual disorder and a person's error of judgment. Epicureanism encourages adapting to and accommodating the inequalities of class society.[2]
Modern consumerism is taking on Epicurean traits, with the constant seeking of pleasure through buying, alongside the popularization of self-healing as an individual quest for well-being; but capitalism's inherent crisis and continuously rising inequality completely negate any form of self-help or pleasing oneself through consumerism.[2]
Ataraxia & Aponia[edit | edit source]
Epicuros was a hedonist and so believed that pleasure was the ultimate goal of life, though he didn't view pleasure as overindulgence, but rather as seeking satisfaction in the rudimentary and simple. For example, rather than eating a feast, one should seek to eat a simple meal that satiates one's hunger and leaves one's mind in a state of tranquility. Epicurean hedonism is fixated on the avoidance of displeasure, as opposed to maximizing pleasure, and on staying in a state of peace of mind.[2]
He popularized the two words Ataraxia and Aponia, as these were central to his philosophy:[2]
- Ataraxia: A state of constant peace of mind, free from anxiety, emotional volatility, and fear.
- Aponia: The absence of physical pain, such as hunger, disease, or exhaustion.
"The magnitude of pleasure reaches its limit in the removal of all pain. When such pleasure is present, so long as it is uninterrupted, there is no pain either of body or of mind or of both together." - Principal Doctrines, 3
Tetrapharmakos[edit | edit source]
Epicuros created a program that he designed to "cure" the soul of anxiety; this could be considered the foundation of his philosophy:[2]
- Fearlessness: Epicuros stated that the gods lived in a perfect state of bliss and immortality. As they were perfectly happy, they had no interest in meddling in human affairs, and they neither punished the wicked nor rewarded the virtuous. Therefore, there was no need to fear displeasing or pleasing them. He also advised against fearing death, as we simply dissolve into atoms and return to the universe; since there was no afterlife, why fear what you won't be around to experience?
"A blessed and indestructible being has no trouble himself and brings no trouble upon any other being; so he is free from anger and partiality, for all such things imply weakness." - Principal Doctrines, 1
"Death, therefore, the most awful of evils, is nothing to us, seeing that, when we are, death is not come, and, when death is come, we are not. It is nothing, then, either to the living or to the dead, for with the living it is not and the dead exist no longer." - Letter to Menoeceus
- What is good is easy to get: Epicuros believed that human desires were categorized into three parts: what is natural and necessary; natural but unnecessary; and unnatural and unnecessary. Epicuros stated that we should only pursue what is natural and necessary, such as basic food and shelter, and only enjoy what is natural but unnecessary in moderation, such as luxury foods. The unnatural and unnecessary, such as wealth, fame, and political power, should be avoided at all costs, as they only bring stress and require money and effort that extend infinitely.[2]
"Wealth required by nature is limited and is easy to procure; but the wealth required by vain ideals extends to infinity." - Principal Doctrines, 15
"Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little." - Vatican Sayings, 68
- What is terrible is easy to endure: According to Epicuros, physical pain is short-lived and sharp; in other words, it will either pass shortly or result in death. If it is chronic, it is mild enough to endure and can be outweighed by the pleasures of life.[2]
"Continuous bodily pain does not last long; instead, pain, if extreme, is present a very short time, and even that degree of pain which slightly exceeds bodily pleasure does not last for many days at once." - Principal Doctrines, 4
Importance of Friendship[edit | edit source]
Though Epicuros advocated for one to live in obscurity and retreat from the stress of public life and politics, he did not advocate for isolation, as he put great importance on friendship and viewed it as the greatest source of security, joy, and support. He created "The Garden" for this purpose and placed it outside Athens; it was a community that lived fully by Epicurean principles and was supposedly strictly egalitarian, as it may have invited women and slaves as equals to free men.[2]
"Of all the means which wisdom acquires to ensure happiness throughout the whole of life, by far the most important is friendship." - Principal Doctrines, 27
"It is not so much our friends' help that helps us, as the confidence of their help." - Vatican Sayings, 34
Swerve of Atomism[edit | edit source]
Since Epicuros grounded his philosophy in atomism, he believed that everything in the world was determined by natural physical laws, though he still believed in the existence of gods, just that they had no interest in the human world. So, he stated that since everything operates according to these physical laws, there are no superstitions such as curses, ghosts, or mythological creatures. In order to confront human free will within the supposedly strictly unchanging atomic world, he had to create the concept of clinamen ("swerve"), which entails that atoms, on occasion, randomly deviate from their paths a deviation that allows for our free will.[2]
"It is impossible for someone to dispel his fears about the most important matters if he doesn't know the nature of the universe but still gives some credence to myths. So without the study of nature there is no enjoyment of pure pleasure." - Principal Doctrines, 12
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Epicurus | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Utm.edu. https://iep.utm.edu/epicur/
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 Konstan, David, "Epicurus", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2025 Edition), Edward N. Zalta & Uri Nodelman (eds.), URL = <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2025/entries/epicurus/>.