REMINDER: SUNDAY WEEKLY ZOOM - December 21, 2025 -12:30 PM EDT - Ancient Text Study: De Rerum Natura by Lucretius -- Meeting is open to Level 03 members and above.
one's eye should always be on the pleasant life lived.
And you could think of gratitude as a kind of awareness and recognition that you are living pleasantly and pleasurable - therefore gratitude is always a necessary ellement, as Nate pointed out in the very first post:
In nearly every other extant document, "gratitude" (expressed using forms of kharis) is encouraged as an indispensable moral practice:
Although I wouldn't call it a "moral" practice, but rather a wise practice 
* I do not see hedone/aponia/ataraxia as instrumental virtues aiming at eudaimonia – as if that were some other value-in-itself. I rather see a eudaimonic life as constitutive of the most pleasurable/pleasant life I can put together. Eudaimonia is not separable from hedone.
Some thoughts perculating in response. The sensations of hedone/aponia/ataraxia result due to choices, and our choices are limited by the options we can imagine, and those choices are limited by the options which are realistically available to us. My niece has five children that she home-schools, and I seriously doubt that tranquility and serenity will be available to her (except in very brief moments) till they grow up and move out of the house (three boys and two girls). And yet, since hedone is additive (not subtractive) then I say that hedone (both of mind and of body) could be a direct path to happiness for her. If she thinks she needs aponia and ataraxia to be happy then she will wait a long time.
Here are some of the slides that I presented in last night's Zoom book review of Emily Austin's "Living for Pleasure". (I present a few highlights of chapters 5, 6, and 7. And Cassius presented on chapter 8.)
I found this at a translation website, but the last two letters of the word look different than in the above ancient Greek (in post 1 above)
μακαρισμός ὁ, pronouncing happy, blessing, Pl. R. 591d, Arist. Rh. 1367b33, Andronic. Pass. p. 570 M., Plu. 2.471c ; giving praise or thanks, Epicur. Sent.Vat. 52, Phld. D. 3 Fr. 86a.
Source:
This was the original translation site and it gave me four options and I just chose the first site which I posted link above.
Don - can you help out with translation of this one (my eyes go cross-eyed when I look at Greek letters). This translation is from Peter Saint Andre. (Do we already have this someplace else?)
| 52. | Friendship dances around the world, announcing to each of us that we must awaken to happiness. | ἡ φιλία περιχορεύει τὴν οἰκουμένην κηρύττουσα δὴ πᾶσιν ἡμῖν ἐγείρεσθαι ἐπὶ τὸν μακαρισμόν. |
Should the last word be translated as "blessedness"?
We have to start with an understanding of what the normal healthy living thing does with its time so that we can understand what is presumed to be the result when all pain is eliminated.
| 41. | One must laugh and seek wisdom and tend to one's home life and use one's other goods, and always recount the pronouncements of true philosophy. | γελᾶν ἅμα δεῖ καὶ φιλοσοφεῖν καὶ οἰκονομεῖν καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς οἰκειώμασι χρῆσθαι καὶ μηδαμῇ λήγειν τὰς ἐκ τῆς ὀρθῆς φιλοσοφίας φωνὰς ἀφιέντας. |
(source)
This is clear and simple and I'm thinking that one interpretation of "use one's other goods" is that these are the "goods" of friendship and self-sufficiency, etc.
It would be good to clearly define "happiness" and the path to it, as that would make things less ambiguous.
jdarraugh -- Thanks for letting us know, and looking forward to seeing you at the next meeting. 
Creative Air Welcome to the forum! And thanks for telling us about your background!
Discovering this philosophy has changed my life for the better
Yes! And it has for me too!
I'm grateful for what all of you do here and the knowledge you impart to continue the Epicurean tradition. Thanks!
Thanks and you're welcome...and of course we do it for the pleasure it brings! 
I want to thank all who showed up last night to our first book review meeting for Emily Austin's "Living for Pleasure". We had a total of seven attendees.
The group is still open, for any forum members who would like to join the group, just let us know here if you are interested...next meeting is Sunday, May 7th at 8:30 pm Eastern Time.
Welcome @Knoche !
Note: In order to minimize spam registrations, all new registrants must respond in this thread to this welcome message within 72 hours of its posting, or their account is subject to deletion. All that is required is a "Hello!" but of course we hope you will introduce yourself -- tell us a little about yourself and what prompted your interest in Epicureanism -- and/or post a question.
This forum is the place for students of Epicurus to coordinate their studies and work together to promote the philosophy of Epicurus. Please remember that all posting here is subject to our Community Standards / Rules of the Forum our Not Neo-Epicurean, But Epicurean and our Posting Policy statements and associated posts.
Please understand that the leaders of this forum are well aware that many fans of Epicurus may have sincerely-held views of what Epicurus taught that are incompatible with the purposes and standards of this forum. This forum is dedicated exclusively to the study and support of people who are committed to classical Epicurean views. As a result, this forum is not for people who seek to mix and match some Epicurean views with positions that are inherently inconsistent with the core teachings of Epicurus.
All of us who are here have arrived at our respect for Epicurus after long journeys through other philosophies, and we do not demand of others what we were not able to do ourselves. Epicurean philosophy is very different from other viewpoints, and it takes time to understand how deep those differences really are. That's why we have membership levels here at the forum which allow for new participants to discuss and develop their own learning, but it's also why we have standards that will lead in some cases to arguments being limited, and even participants being removed, when the purposes of the community require it. Epicurean philosophy is not inherently democratic, or committed to unlimited free speech, or devoted to any other form of organization other than the pursuit by our community of happy living through the principles of Epicurean philosophy.
One way you can be most assured of your time here being productive is to tell us a little about yourself and personal your background in reading Epicurean texts. It would also be helpful if you could tell us how you found this forum, and any particular areas of interest that you have which would help us make sure that your questions and thoughts are addressed.
In that regard we have found over the years that there are a number of key texts and references which most all serious students of Epicurus will want to read and evaluate for themselves. Those include the following.
It is by no means essential or required that you have read these texts before participating in the forum, but your understanding of Epicurus will be much enhanced the more of these you have read. Feel free to join in on one or more of our conversation threads under various topics found throughout the forum, where you can to ask questions or to add in any of your insights as you study the Epicurean philosophy.
And time has also indicated to us that if you can find the time to read one book which will best explain classical Epicurean philosophy, as opposed to most modern "eclectic" interpretations of Epicurus, that book is Norman DeWitt's Epicurus And His Philosophy.
(If you have any questions regarding the usage of the forum or finding info, please post any questions in this thread).
Welcome to the forum!
epicurean = gourmand
Epicurean = one who studies and follows the advice and worldview of the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus
Welcome @Randseed !
Note: In order to minimize spam registrations, all new registrants must respond in this thread to this welcome message within 72 hours of its posting, or their account is subject to deletion. All that is required is a "Hello!" but of course we hope you will introduce yourself -- tell us a little about yourself and what prompted your interest in Epicureanism -- and/or post a question.
This forum is the place for students of Epicurus to coordinate their studies and work together to promote the philosophy of Epicurus. Please remember that all posting here is subject to our Community Standards / Rules of the Forum our Not Neo-Epicurean, But Epicurean and our Posting Policy statements and associated posts.
Please understand that the leaders of this forum are well aware that many fans of Epicurus may have sincerely-held views of what Epicurus taught that are incompatible with the purposes and standards of this forum. This forum is dedicated exclusively to the study and support of people who are committed to classical Epicurean views. As a result, this forum is not for people who seek to mix and match some Epicurean views with positions that are inherently inconsistent with the core teachings of Epicurus.
All of us who are here have arrived at our respect for Epicurus after long journeys through other philosophies, and we do not demand of others what we were not able to do ourselves. Epicurean philosophy is very different from other viewpoints, and it takes time to understand how deep those differences really are. That's why we have membership levels here at the forum which allow for new participants to discuss and develop their own learning, but it's also why we have standards that will lead in some cases to arguments being limited, and even participants being removed, when the purposes of the community require it. Epicurean philosophy is not inherently democratic, or committed to unlimited free speech, or devoted to any other form of organization other than the pursuit by our community of happy living through the principles of Epicurean philosophy.
One way you can be most assured of your time here being productive is to tell us a little about yourself and personal your background in reading Epicurean texts. It would also be helpful if you could tell us how you found this forum, and any particular areas of interest that you have which would help us make sure that your questions and thoughts are addressed.
In that regard we have found over the years that there are a number of key texts and references which most all serious students of Epicurus will want to read and evaluate for themselves. Those include the following.
It is by no means essential or required that you have read these texts before participating in the forum, but your understanding of Epicurus will be much enhanced the more of these you have read. Feel free to join in on one or more of our conversation threads under various topics found throughout the forum, where you can to ask questions or to add in any of your insights as you study the Epicurean philosophy.
And time has also indicated to us that if you can find the time to read one book which will best explain classical Epicurean philosophy, as opposed to most modern "eclectic" interpretations of Epicurus, that book is Norman DeWitt's Epicurus And His Philosophy.
(If you have any questions regarding the usage of the forum or finding info, please post any questions in this thread).
Welcome to the forum!
Sonderling Welcome to the forum!
Just a heads up...we're starting a book review/study group on "Living for Pleasure: an EpicureanGuide to Life" - via Zoom(click here to find out more).
Also check out our interview of the author Emily Austin:
Part 1:
Part 2:
Feel free to post any questions here
Lowri834 Welcome to the forum!
I’m reading Emily Austin’s book
That's great to hear! You probably already noticed that we have a book review/study group (click here to find out more) starting up on April 30th, via Zoom. As we move through the book, we will be posting highlights and other discussion high-points (in this other thread).
Feel free to let us know if you have any questions about that, or Epicurean philosophy.
What else would you add to complete the sentence: Epicurus campaigned primarily against _______________:
...that the gods are involved with humanity, and that they are angry and jealous. And that phenomenon have supernatural origins.
I just found this, and a brings up newest science of understanding how the brain is the source of the mind and soul:
Researchers have discovered a connection between the brain areas controlling movement and those involved in thinking, planning, and involuntary bodily functions like blood pressure and heartbeat. The findings suggest a literal linkage between body and mind in the brain’s structure. Researchers named this newly identified network the Somato-Cognitive Action Network (SCAN). This study may help explain phenomena such as anxiety-induced pacing, the effects of vagus nerve stimulation on depression, and the positive outlook reported by regular exercisers.
Source: https://scitechdaily.com/hidden-linkage…ilt-into-brain/
And also another article:
"Modern neuroscience does not include any kind of mind-body dualism. It's not compatible with being a serious neuroscientist nowadays. I'm not a philosopher, but one succinct statement I like is saying, 'The mind is what the brain does.' The sum of the bio-computational functions of the brain makes up 'the mind,'" said study senior author Nico Dosenbach, a neurology professor at Washington University School of Medicine.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/scie…ain-2023-04-19/
One week from today -- on April 30th, we will start a 6-Week Long Book Review on "Living for Pleasure: an Epicurean Guide to Life" by Emily Austin -- Via Zoom.
We've had a number of sign-ups already.
If you've thought of attending and have not yet let us know, now is the time to RSVP here in this thread.
Looking forward to meeting you all soon. We will be sending out the Zoom link by private message the day before the meeting.
Happy Birthday Pacatus
I came upon this, which has all the same issues addressed by Cassius in the above post. But this is a much longer article, and there is added historical material regarding the rivalry of the two schools.
I just found this travel video of Athens, (4min, 32sec -- a somewhat older video)
And this one is good if you plan on actually going to the Acropolis, for planning purposes:
