Posts by Kalosyni

Adding a deeper understanding to the closing paragraph: it is more than just poetic words to say "you shall live like a god among men" - philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle also presented their own ideas about "living like the gods" and so Epicurus was using that as a kind of framing to present his system.

Here are some of my notes from last night's Zoom:

The paragraph:

"Meditate therefore on these things and things akin to them night and day by yourself; and with a companion like to yourself, and never shall you be disturbed waking or asleep, but you shall live like a god among men. For a man who lives among immortal blessings is not like unto a mortal being." - Bailey translation

Breaking down the paragraph by some key phrases:

1. "meditate" - contemplate; study and practice

2. "on these things and things akin to them" -- everything in this letter should be contemplated:

• 1) the importance of loving and practicing wisdom, and knowing what actually brings happiness.
• 2) the correct understanding of the nature of the gods.
• 3) the correct understanding of the nature of death.
• 4) the three kinds of desires.
• 5) understanding everything that you accept or reject is in terms of health of the body and serenity of the soul. Judge every good thing by the standard of how that thing affects you.
• 6) not every pleasure is to be chosen and not every pain is always to be shunned. Make your decisions by measuring things side by side and looking at both the advantages and disadvantages.
• 7) self-reliance is a great good. Those who need luxury the least enjoy it the most, and everything natural is easily obtained whereas everything groundless is hard to get. Training yourself to live without luxury prepares you to more thoroughly enjoy luxury when it does come.
• 8 ) not the kind of pleasure of decadent people, but sober reasoning, searching out the cause of everything we accept or reject, and driving out opinions that cause the greatest trouble in the soul.
• 9) thus practical wisdom is more valuable than philosophy and is the source of every other excellence. Prudence is what develops the virtues. And the excellences grow up together with the pleasant life, and the pleasant life is inseparable from them.
• 10) for he holds that we are responsible for what we achieve, even though some things happen by necessity, some by chance, and some by our own power, because although necessity is not accountable he sees that chance is unstable whereas the things that are within our power have no other master.

3. "with a companion like to yourself" - this phrase more than hints at the highest form of friendship as described by Aristotle, which rather than utility or pleasure, is the kind of friendship based on a mutual appreciation of the virtues that the other party holds dear. It’s the people themselves and the qualities that they represent that provides the incentive for the two parties to be in each other’s lives. For Epicureans, wisdom and prudence are core values, as well as the ability to see and understand that there are natural causes at work in the world, rather than supernatural acts caused by gods. Contemplation, study, and practice must be done together with another person who is earnestly seeking to develop the virtues of wisdom and prudence that Epicurus taught.

4. "never shall you be disturbed waking or asleep" - you will be free from disturbance and confusion and which also is the nature of the gods.

5. "you shall live like a god among men" - for Epicurus this comes about by applying yourself to the contemplation, study, and practice of "these things and things akin to them" (everything in the Letter to Menoeceus) as well as experiencing a complete life which has more pleasures than pains.

6. "immortal blessings" - unending "goods" such as friendship - Vatican Saying 78: "The noble soul is devoted most of all to wisdom and to friendship — one a mortal good, the other immortal."

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I will soon add to this thread some clear references to Plato and Aristotle's ideas on the role of contemplation in philosophy as well as "living like the gods".

( Patrikios asked for a chart comparing Plato, Aristotle, and Epicurus and I will also work on that too).

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For an overview of the type and quality of posts we are looking for, please read this description of the type of posts we are in need of:

Post

Posting quality that we hope to see here on the forum

Here is an update to let you know that the forum is in need of posts that are of a certain quality. What might that mean?...here are some guidelines:

1) New registrants - In your Welcome thread - you can tell us a little bit about:

• how you found the forum
• what got you thinking about studying Epicureanism
• what aspects of Epicureanism interest you the most
• what you have studied or read so far about Epicureanism (articles, books, YouTube)
• any previous study of other philosophies
• what country or region

…

Kalosyni

July 31, 2025 at 5:51 PM

I'll be highlighting the last paragraph, but if you haven't recently read through the full Letter to Menoeceus, it can be found here:

Epicurus' Letter to Menoeceus - Epicureanfriends.com

www.epicureanfriends.com

Here is an update to let you know that the forum is in need of posts that are of a certain quality. What might that mean?...here are some guidelines:

1) New registrants - In your Welcome thread - you can tell us a little bit about:

• how you found the forum
• what got you thinking about studying Epicureanism
• what aspects of Epicureanism interest you the most
• what you have studied or read so far about Epicureanism (articles, books, YouTube)
• any previous study of other philosophies
• what country or region you are now living in

2) Ask questions:

Your questions need to reflect that you have already done some study of the basic concepts of Epicurean philosophy. We provide Epicurean texts and other materials that you should look over before asking your question. It is recommended that you read the The Principal Doctrines and the Letter to Menoeceus. Also, an introduction to Epicurean ethics can be found in the book "Living for Pleasure" by Emily Austin, and there is a more detailed book which covers physics, canonics, and ethics, by Norman DeWitt: "The Philosophy of Epicurus". If you do not have the funds to buy either of those books, you can instead spend some time reading through the various forums to gain a full understanding of Epicurean philosophy. When you feel you have a question, please find the appropriate forum to place your question. If you do not know where to post, then you can either ask your question in your Welcome thread or message the admin to ask where to post it.

3) Post comments and commentary, new information on Epicureanism, and study resources:

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• Reviews of scholarly works (articles/books) on Epicurean philosophy which align with the Classical Epicurean interpretation (Epicurean not Neo-Epicurean).
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Please be aware that the admin reserves the right to move your posts to a new location when deemed necessary.

Improper posting (repeatly posting into the wrong thread) or poor quality of posts (questions that indicate that you have not yet studied the basic introductory material) will result in demotion to "01- Level One", at which time posting will be limited to your Welcome thread.

A good place to start your study of Epicurean philosophy is on our wiki page:

EpicureanFriends Wiki

Hi Everyone, coming up this next Monday is our First Monday Epicurean Meet-and-greet & Discussion Via Zoom. The topic of discussion this month: "The closing paragraph of the Letter to Menoeceus".

Agenda:

• Welcome and meet-and-greet: round the table greetings and introductions.
• A short presentation on the discussion topic (by Kalosyni). Following the presentation, discussion prompts will be given to spur on the discussion, and we will go around the table offering everyone an opportunity to participate in the discussion.
• We may also include discussion on the latest forum threads and podcast, depending on how the evening flows.
• We also include time for any questions on Epicurean philosophy, especially for newer members.

This meeting is open to Level 02 members and up. If you have not previously attended, please let us know of your interest and we will add you to the Zoom list (link will be sent out the day before by private message. (Previous attendies do not need to RSVP).

The meeting runs about an hour.

Hope to see you there!

Quote from TauPhi

I came across this observation from Numenius of Apamea who wrote the passage some 500 years after Epicurus and I thought it may be interesting topic for us to discuss. Epicurean school in antiquity was uniquely resistant to any change or innovation. When other schools went through distinct periods in their development - Middle Platonism, Neoplatonism, Early Stoa, Middle Stoa, 1st Academy, 2nd Academy, umpteen academy etc. - Epicureanism had never developed. No new ideas were introduced, nothing was really questioned or corrected, there were around 10 scholars in succession that we know of who run the school and yet no-one really deviated or influenced in any significant way the teachings of the school.

Both Cassius and Joshua have given very good posts above to address this critique of the Epicurean school, given by the Platonist Numenius.

It is actually a indication of the strength of the school that it didn't shift in it's basic tenets.

Just because we don't have anyone labeling any different time periods, doesn't mean that there weren't some subtle differences over time.

I would venture to say that there could likely be seen some differences between the "Early Epicureans" and the "Philodemus Epicureans" - a stronger emphasis on physics and canonics in the early time vs. a stronger emphasis on ethics by Philodemus. Perhaps Bryan might have something to say?

About a month ago I experienced the loss of a pet, and I wrote down some notes after a number of days had passed. Here expressed in very abstract terms, and with some additional editing, are some thoughts about the "existential experience of grief".

1) The reality of death - seeing with one's own eyes the physical nature of death. Reflecting on this, one sees that all living beings including oneself will one day die - we are indeed mortal.

2) The tragedy, pain, and suffering of the deceased as they went through the process of dying - and the question: "Could the death have been prevented?".

3) The loss - coming to terms with the expectation that the loved one would always be near, and realizing that there had been an attitude of "possessing/owning". (Specific to this situation: "my baby kitty".)

4) Dealing with the day-to-day experience of not having the loved one in one's life - Adjusting. Remembering the good and happy moments from the past.

5) Re-directing love and attention - taking time to focus on and care for those who are still alive.

Here is a modern psychology take on grief:

Five stages of grief - Wikipedia

Quote

...those experiencing sudden grief following an abrupt realization (shock) go through five emotions: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

Critics of the model have warned against using it too literally.

And which could also be said, that not everyone will experience these stages or in this order.

Here is an article regarding Thomas Jefferson's "social duties":

Edmund Burke and Thomas Jefferson on Citizen's Duties - Journal of the American Revolution

In 1790, when Edmund Burke published his Reflections on the Revolution in France, it triggered lots of backlash from people like Thomas Paine, Richard Price,…

allthingsliberty.com

Cassius Admin Edit: Cicero's "De Officiis" is one of his most famous works. From Wikipedia:

The legacy of De Officiis is profound. Although not a Christian work, in 390 St. Ambrose declared it legitimate for the Church to use (along with everything else Cicero, and the equally popular Roman philosopher Seneca, had written). It became a moral authority during the Middle Ages. Of the Church Fathers, St. Augustine, St. Jerome and even more so St. Thomas Aquinas, are known to have been familiar with it.^[12] Illustrating its importance, some 700 handwritten copies remain extant in libraries around the world dating back to before the invention of the printing press. Though this does not surpass the Latin grammarian Priscian's 900 extant handwritten copies, it places De Officiis far above many classical works. Following the invention of the printing press, De Officiis was the third book to be printed—third only to the Gutenberg Bible and Donatus's Ars Minor, which was the first printed book.^[a]

, but it has been many years since I read it. I don't see it discussed very frequently in Epicurean commentary because I don't recall that it makes as much specific reference to Epicurus as some of his other works, but no doubt the references are there and just need pulling out.

The Walter Miller translation at Gutenberg is here.

I'll tag this thread with #Morality and we can add to this section some of our general dicsussions about morality and social duties, and eventually go through this text to pull out what we can find about attitudes toward Epicurean social duties - as referenced in this post by Kalosyni.

Separation of church and state in the United States - Wikipedia

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article "Separation of church and state":

Quote

The principle is paraphrased from Jefferson's "separation between Church & State". It has been used to express the understanding of the intent and function of this amendment, which allows freedom of religion. It is generally traced to a January 1, 1802, letter by Jefferson, addressed to the Danbury Baptist Association in Connecticut, and published in a Massachusetts newspaper.

Jefferson wrote:

Quote

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.^[1]

This: ..."that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions"...

and..."I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties"

So then the question is what are a person's "social duties"?

Welcome to the forum @Sam_Qwerty !

Quote from Sam_Qwerty

...meaninglessness of existence...

You may be interested in checking out this sub-forum, if you haven't yet already seen it:

Answering the "Quest For Meaning" In Epicurean Terms

He also wrote: Corruption and the Decline of Rome

This is just an aside, but an interesting read:

An excerpt:

Quote

His wide learning (he was famous for his numerous and lengthy footnotes) enabled him to look beyond the historical parameters of other historians, and to use abundant unnoticed evidence concerning Romans in their individual and family rites and daily life to advance his views. His books, and the attention and acclaim they received, were influential in opening the now established field of social history.

John Matthews, the John M. Schiff Professor Emeritus of Classics and History, has stated that MacMullen added something “broader” to the usual scholarly writing on the subject by “posing open questions and addressing them with a far greater range of texts than most were accustomed to — inscriptions, papyri, archaeological reports, literary texts from unfashionable periods of history, many of them texts whose relevance was, precisely, not agreed.”

Quote from Don

αὔριον εἰς λιτήν σε καλιάδα, φίλτατε Πείσων,
ἐξ ἐνάτης ἕλκει μουσοφιλὴς ἕταρος,
εἰκάδα δειπνίζων ἐνιαύσιον: εἰ δ᾽ ἀπολείψεις
οὔθατα καὶ Βρομίου χιογενῆ πρόποσιν,
ἀλλ᾽ ἑτάρους ὄψει παναληθέας, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπακούσῃ
Φαιήκων γαίης πουλὺ μελιχρότερα:
ἢν δέ ποτε στρέψῃς καὶ ἐς ἡμέας ὄμματα, Πείσων,
ἄξομεν ἐκ λιτῆς εἰκάδα πιοτέρην.

Display More

Translation?

Hope to see you next time!

Happy Twentieth of July 2025!

Vatican Saying 21: "Nature must be persuaded, not forced. And we will persuade nature by fulfilling the necessary desires, and the natural desires too if they cause no harm, but sharply rejecting the harmful desires".

Charles Happy Birthday!

VS47. "I have anticipated thee, Fortune, and entrenched myself against all thy secret attacks. And I will not give myself up as captive to thee or to any other circumstance; but when it is time for me to go, spitting contempt on life and on those who vainly cling to it, I will leave life crying aloud a glorious triumph-song that I have lived well." (Bailey translation)

I am wondering if it literally says "spitting contempt on life" or what exactly it said?

Don  Bryan  Eikadistes

I have some questions about the wording of VS47 and will ask over in this thread for examining the translation:

Thread

VS47 - Source in Vat.gr.1950 and elsewhere

This saying is attributed to Metrodorus.

Here is the manuscript of VS47

epicureanfriends.com/wcf/attachment/4774/

(Source: Vat.gr.1950, part 2, 403verso)

And here is the text in Metrodori Epicurei Fragmenta collegit scriptoris incerti Epicurei Commentarium moralem, subiecit Alfredus Koerte (p.561)

epicureanfriends.com/wcf/attachment/4775/

That famous word "triumph-song" does not appear in the manuscript! It is a "correction" by Usener, clearly shown in the manuscript itself and in Note (5) in…

Don

May 23, 2024 at 6:46 AM

Welcome to the forum Simteau !

You may like to check out this introductory video by Cassius:

Please feel free to ask any questions you may have here in this thread. 😊

Quote from Eikadistes

Side-note: AI is now citing the interpretations presented in this forum:

I entered this question into Google: "does ai on Google search prioritize websites you have previously viewed"

And here was the ai reply:

Quote

"Yes, Google Search's AI algorithms do factor in your past browsing and search history to personalize your search results"

So then this means that everyone gets slightly different results on their Google queries.

Here is second query and the first part of what Google ai said:

Quote

Yes, search results on Google (or any major search engine) can vary for different users even when they enter the same search query. This is due to a combination of personalization and contextual factors.

Here's why:

• Personalization:

  Google uses your past search history, location, language settings, and other factors to tailor results for you, making them more relevant to your interests and needs.

  ...