Posts by Kalosyni

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  • Episode 267 - Virtue Is Not Absolute Or An End In Itself - All Good And Evil Consists In Sensation.

    "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.

  • Discussion of Matthew 7:6 “Pearls Before Swine (Epicureans?)”

    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

  • 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 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.

  • January 19, 2025 - 1pm ET - "Applying Epicurus Accurately" Livestreaming Event

    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.

  • January 6, 2025 - First Monday Epicurean Philosophy Hour Discussion - Agenda

    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? :/

  • Forum Categories Update

    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.]

  • Forum Categories Update

    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"! :)

  • Eclecticism -vs- Clear Knowledge of Epicurean Philosophy -vs- Forming an Individual & Personal Worldview

    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).

  • How Do We Have Confidence In Dealing With Texts Written In Languages To Which We Are Not Native?

    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

  • January 19, 2025 - 1pm ET - "Applying Epicurus Accurately" Livestreaming Event

    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.

  • Give Us an Example of God!

    Quote from Kyle

    > For god cannot be conceived apart from thought


    I was confused by this phrase, but I think in context this must mean that god/a god can't be conceived of as a thoughtless being (like a p-zombie).

    For me, I would take this to mean that god cannot be experienced apart from thought. ---> God exists only as a mental construct.

  • January 19, 2025 - 1pm ET - "Applying Epicurus Accurately" Livestreaming Event

    Hi Everyone! We are charting new territory starting in 2025!

    Mark your calendar for our first livestreaming event on January 19, 2025 at 1:00pm ET!

    We will have presentations by Cassius, Don, Joshua, Bryan, and Kalosyni -- Presentations will be followed by a round table discussion and live chat. Topics are:

    "Applying Epicurus Accurately - The Epicurean Paradigm Shift" - Cassius will introduce the topics to be presented in the livestream and address several key topics on which Epicurus is often misunderstood.

    "Bread and Water: Debunking the Idea of Epicurean Asceticism" - Don 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 will present on how Epicurus diagnosed the error of attempting to apply geometric reasoning to ethical questions.

    "An Elementary Fact Worth Bearing in Mind" - Bryan will present on translation issues using an example from the letter to Herodotus where Epicurus described an elementary fact worth remembering.

    "Moderation in All Things is Not Always the Prudent Course" - Kalosyni will explain how Epicurus advised "prudence" - rather than "moderation" - as the key to happy living.

    Each presentation will last approximately twenty minutes, and at the end the presenters will assemble for a panel discussion of the topics, including responses to questions or comments received from the livestream chat.

Finding Things At EpicureanFriends.com

What's the best strategy for finding things on EpicureanFriends.com? Here's a suggested search strategy:

  • First, familiarize yourself with the list of forums. The best way to find threads related to a particular topic is to look in the relevant forum. Over the years most people have tried to start threads according to forum topic, and we regularly move threads from our "general discussion" area over to forums with more descriptive titles.
  • Use the "Search" facility at the top right of every page. Note that the search box asks you what section of the forum you'd like to search. If you don't know, select "Everywhere." Also check the "Search Assistance" page.
  • Use the "Tag" facility, starting with the "Key Tags By Topic" in the right hand navigation pane, or using the "Search By Tag" page, or the "Tag Overview" page which contains a list of all tags alphabetically. We curate the available tags to keep them to a manageable number that is descriptive of frequently-searched topics.