Welcome Daniel Van Orman ! When you get a chance please introduce yourself and let is know about your background in Epicurus. Thank you for joining us!
Also, I see from your first post that you are working on an Epicurean database. I am linking to that here so others will see it from this post.
Welcome Daniel Van Orman!
Listen to the latest Lucretius Today Podcast! Episode 225 is now available. Cicero Argues That A Commitment To Virtue Is A Bar to Pleasure.
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I am a 20 year old nerdy, asocial computer science major (I am learning to make software; I aspire to be a highly educated programmer/scientist). I am attending Brigham Young University Idaho because of its high quality degree, fantastic honor code, and low cost. I was raised an hour away from Portland, Oregon and recently moved to San Diego, California because of my father's work (I miss omnipresent clouds and Seattle-like rain).
I am a utilitarian, mainly following John Stuart Mill. While studying, I repeatedly encountered quotes from Epicurus, being cited as a wise authority on ethics. I believe most Epicurean teachings explain what I think is the core of utilitarianism: a selfless love for others based on hedonism with humility and wisdom. As I study Epicurean teachings, I find numerous aspects essential to and expanded upon in utilitarianism. To study philosophy, I searched for complete sources on any website I could find (thus how I found Epicurean Friends) and took notes while doing so. A small part of those notes become the topical guide linked above. Look there for a better understanding of my understanding of Epicurean philosophy.
I have a highly analytical mindset, enhanced by my electrical engineer-filled family and technical education starting from an early age (ex: I have been programming since the age of seven. I finished five programming and five engineering classes before graduating high school. The list goes on.). From this, I know criticism (mainly constructive criticism) is vital for learning and improving. Please remain respectful and I will be very difficult to offend. Thank you.