Posts by Kalosyni

Happy Birthday EricR

This morning as I was looking at a much needed cleaning project (needing to straighten up my house), it came to me that perhaps I have too much "stuff".

After listening to the video presentation by Don (and recall talked about the "simple" diet of most people living in ancient Greece), I was thinking about the definition of the word "simple", and found this online dictionary entry.

So often self-help websites give out a recommendation to return to a simple lifestyle, as an antedote to the "too much" of modern life (too much noise, too much traffic, too much commotion, too much stuff).

And yet, it seems this is an individual issue, as it is really about what feels right for each person - Epicurean philosophy says to pay attention to what feels pleasant and pleasurable. So some people may not need "simplicity".

What stuck out for me from the dictionary entry of the word "simple"...was the definition: ordinary. (Don may have talked about the word ordinary in his presentation, I'll need to re-watch it).

And I think we can end up cognating words in slightly different ways (as sometimes the word "simple" can be applied to a lack of intelligence, which gives it a negative connotation).

Another meaning is: easy ...(which does echo that what is necessary is easy to get).

I wanted to start this thread to discuss:

What place does "simple" have in Epicureanism?

So feel free to share your thoughts

"Of all this the beginning and the greatest good is prudence. Wherefore prudence is a more precious thing even than philosophy: for from prudence are sprung all the other virtues, and it teaches us that it is not possible to live pleasantly without living prudently and honorably and justly, (nor, again, to live a life of prudence, honor, and justice) without living pleasantly. For the virtues are by nature bound up with the pleasant life, and the pleasant life is inseparable from them." - Letter to Menoeceus

****

"Yes, just as we regard with favour the physician's skill not for his art's sake merely but because we prize sound health, and just as the pilot's art is praised on utilitarian and not on artistic grounds, because it supplies the principles of good navigation, so wisdom, which we must hold to be the art of living, would be no object of desire, if it were productive of no advantage; but it is in fact desired, because it is to us as an architect that plans and accomplishes pleasure." - Cicero "On Ends" Torquatus section.

Regarding Horace, I posted over in this thread:

Thread

Meaning behind Horace's Quote

(This must have been discussed some time ago at length, but could not locate it.)

As Don quoted (from this thread)

Horace for reference:

Latin
inter spem curamque, timores inter et iras
omnem crede diem tibi diluxisse supremum:
grata superveniet quae non sperabitur hora.
me pinguem et nitidum bene curata cute vises
cum ridere voles, Epicuri de grege porcum.

English (Loeb Classics)

Amid hopes and cares, amid fears and passions,
believe that every day that has dawned is your last.
Welcome will come to you…

Kalosyni

January 22, 2025 at 8:16 AM

(This must have been discussed some time ago at length, but could not locate it.)

As Don quoted (from this thread)

Horace for reference:

Latin
inter spem curamque, timores inter et iras
omnem crede diem tibi diluxisse supremum:
grata superveniet quae non sperabitur hora.
me pinguem et nitidum bene curata cute vises
cum ridere voles, Epicuri de grege porcum.

English (Loeb Classics)

Amid hopes and cares, amid fears and passions,
believe that every day that has dawned is your last.
Welcome will come to you another hour unhoped for.
As for me, when you want a laugh, you will find me in fine fettle,
fat and sleek, a hog from Epicurus’s herd.

***

I read this as creating a contrast between fear and the resultant asceticism of the Cynics, vs the "fettle" (good condition and health) of the Epicureans, when having enough to eat (and having some fat stores (rather than skin and bones) is helpful ahead of time when sickness comes because the body has that to use) and the laughter seems to be a reference of lightheartedness.

Decorated with fresh cut camellias, for the annual birthday celebration of Epicurus.

Wish Everyone a Happy Twentieth!

Today is the big day! Our livestream event takes place at 1:00 pm ET! All the presenters have worked very hard, and for all of you who love the study of Epicurus, these presentations are sure to bring new insights.

We will use our YouTube channel for livestreaming -- click here to go to the EpicureanFriends YouTube livestreaming (see post 9 above for Joshua's additional instructions for viewing the livestream). We will have live chat at that location where listeners can provide live feedback and ask questions.

Here is our line-up with presentation descriptions:

• "Applying Epicurus Accurately - The Epicurean Paradigm Shift" - Cassius Amicus, administrator of the EpicureanFriends.com forum and a co-host of "The Lucretius Today Podcast," will introduce the topics to be presented, and start with an explanation of a number of key topics on which Epicurus is often misunderstood.
• "Bread and Water: Debunking the Idea of Epicurean Asceticism" - Don Boozer, longtime EpicureanFriends contributor, will explain how it is a fallacy that Epicurus was an ascetic, and how one of the pillars of that view - that Epicurus promoted an austere diet - is incorrect.
• "Epicurus on the Perils of Applying Geometry to Ethics" - Joshua Elbert, co-administrator at EpicureanFriends and co-host of "The Lucretius Today Podcast", will explain how Epicurus diagnosed and remedied the error of those who seek to apply geometric reasoning to ethical questions.
• "An Elementary Fact Worth Bearing in Mind" - Bryan, longtime EpicureanFriends contributor, will examine several different translations of Diogenes Laertius' Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, Book 10, Section 47 (on physics) and explain the process of evaluating options when translators disagree.
• "Moderation in All Things is Not Always the Prudent Course" - Kalosyni, EpicureanFriends event coordinator, will explain how Epicurus focused on "prudence" - rather than "moderation" - as a key to happy living.
• Panel discussion and closing comments - After the presentations, Cassius Amicus will lead the panel in discussion of final comments on these topics, addressing comments and questions submitted by viewers in the livestream.

Onenski Wishing you a Happy Birthday!

"Epicurean Art and Symbolism" is now renamed to:

-- "Iconography of Epicurus"

For Epicurean symbolism in literature, the place for it will be here or here.

The movies and fiction section is now in Social Postings.

On the discussion theme of New Year's resolutions:

Quote

"Having to exercise twice a day and be strict on my diet were really uncomfortable and new areas for me to tackle, because I hadn't had that conversation before," she says.

But since completing the challenge, she's noticing the lasting impacts so far.

"I exercise a lot more regularly, my reading habits and my relationship with food have transformed," she says.

75 Hard: Is the TikTok fitness challenge really worth it?

The challenge involves forgoing alcohol and unhealthy food for 75 days and doing multiple daily workouts.

www.bbc.com

What would Epicurus say?

Quote from Cassius

As i understand it nothing has been deleted, just rearranged so that posts that are more 'personal' are now more likely to be in a "non-public" section.

Also, posts which are "extra-curricular".

[Edit note, 5:37pm ET: For clarity, I should say "advanced material" which goes above and beyond the expected comprehension of Epicurean philosophy, such as interior decorating or making pencil sketches of Epicurus.]

Notice for registered members:

As per Cassius' request, I have both moved and re-ordered some sub-forums.

In these two forums especially you will notice some significant differences:

-- "General Information and Discussion - Start Here"

-- "Epicurean Art and Symbolism"

Our ongoing primary mission continues forward: "To provide a online home for the study and promotion of the philosophy of Epicurus"!

I find that the above two posts by Cassius are very helpful for contemplating the issue of eclecticism, and I recommend anyone who has been thinking about the issue of eclecticism to read.

I think it is important to understand and realize that there are various ways in which we all approach the study of Epicurean philosophy -- there are variations in each person's desires and reasons for studying, and variations in what each person hopes to gain from study.

And we support:

1) study of Epicurean philosophy

2) formation of an individual and personal worldview

The challenge is that this forum is a place to study "what is Epicurean philosophy" while also being a place to "develop and form one's individual and personal worldview" (and we do hope that individuals who study Epicurean philosophy also incorporate many aspects of it into their own personal worldview).

We hope to keep the study of "what is Epicurean philosophy" free from "eclectic" influences, so that we are clear about what exactly Epicurean philosophy is.

Yet, we also urge each person to develop their own personal worldview.

And now my question is that when you combine these two aspects, how to you avoid problems (I need to define what I think the problems are soon in another post).

ambition - a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work

(from Google / Oxford Languages)

Hi Everyone,

Coming up this next Monday night at 8pm ET!

Meeting open to all forum members.

Agenda:

• Welcome and greetings
• Update on forum events and discussion of popular threads
• Short presentation by Cassius on: "What place does ambition have in an Epicurean lifestyle?" to set the tone for the discussion.
• Guided questions presented by Cassius
• Closing thoughts

Just an fyi -- we have these threads, which may be of interest:

Thread

Table of Texts With Translation or Corruption Difficulties

Passage and Problem	Alternatives and Suggested Translation	Discussion Link
VS 35: Bailey translates 35 this way: "We should not spoil what we have by desiring what we do not have, but remember that what we have too was the gift of fortune."	Norman DeWitt (EAHP page __ ) "We must not spoil the enjoyment of the blessings we have by pining for those we have not but rather reflect tht these too are among the things desirable." Peter St Andre: "Don't ruin the things you have by wanting what you

…

Cassius

January 23, 2018 at 6:33 AM

Thread

Possibilties For Shorthand Rating System For Indicating Reliability Of Texts

I doubt that I will pursue this myself much further, but since I wrote this up as a comment to graphic I thought I would post it separately in case someone thought it was helpful for their own thinking. I'm not at all sure that such a thing would be practical, but thinking about the factors that would go into any such system is probably a good exercise:

I wish we had some shorthand way of indicating a reasonable level of confidence for a particular passage of text. Maybe we ought to create a…

Cassius

September 21, 2024 at 7:01 AM

Hi Everyone! Here is an update with more details on our upcoming livestream event, on January 19th at 1:00 pm ET!

We will use our YouTube channel for livestreaming (click here to check out the EpicureanFriends YouTube page) and plan to set up a chat at that location where listeners can provide live feedback.

Here is our line-up with presentation descriptions:

"Applying Epicurus Accurately - The Epicurean Paradigm Shift" - Cassius Amicus, administrator of the EpicureanFriends.com forum and a co-host of "The Lucretius Today Podcast," will introduce the topics to be presented, and start with an explanation of a number of key topics on which Epicurus is often misunderstood.

"Bread and Water: Debunking the Idea of Epicurean Asceticism" - Don Boozer, longtime EpicureanFriends contributor, will explain how it is a fallacy that Epicurus was an ascetic, and how one of the pillars of that view - that Epicurus promoted an austere diet - is incorrect.

"Epicurus on the Perils of Applying Geometry to Ethics" - Joshua Elbert, co-administrator at EpicureanFriends and co-host of "The Lucretius Today Podcast", will explain how Epicurus diagnosed and remedied the error of those who seek to apply geometric reasoning to ethical questions.

"An Elementary Fact Worth Bearing in Mind" - Bryan, longtime EpicureanFriends contributor, will examine several different translations of Diogenes Laertius' Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, Book 10, Section 47 (on physics) and explain the process of evaluating options when translators disagree.

"Moderation in All Things is Not Always the Prudent Course" - Kalosyni, EpicureanFriends event coordinator, will explain how Epicurus focused on "prudence" - rather than "moderation" - as a key to happy living.

Panel discussion and closing comments - After the presentations, Cassius Amicus will lead the panel in discussion of final comments on these topics, addressing comments and questions submitted by views in the livestream.

Julia Wishing you a Happy Birthday!