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.
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:
Wishing everyone a Happy 20th!
Level 3 Members: see you tonight at the Zoom!
Some great news!
Emily Austin will be able to join us for one of the sessions of the book study Zoom! It will potentially be on week 5 or 6 - so we'll be able to meet and and talk directly to the author!
I see another RSVP (thank you
@TauPhi)
Update on our meeting agenda:
Originally I had the idea of listing a few discussion questions beforehand, but I am now thinking we will take a more open approach for discussion. (I'll have some back-up discussion ideas on-hand just in case).
The Zoom will run about a hour long, and our tenative agenda for the first meeting is as follows:
1) 8:30 - 8:40 - welcoming everyone, introducing the facilitators, and then going around letting everyone else introduce themselves (very brief/easy-going)
2) 8:40 - 9:10 - a brief explanation of what we hope to accomplish and the format of the meeting, followed by diving into a presentation (by Joshua, Martin, and myself) of an overview of the first four chapters.
3) 9:10 - 9:25 - open it up for discussion
4) 9:25 - prepare for closing and good-byes
You can find a list of the highlights which we will touch on here in this thread:
Cassius will also be present as facilitator as well, especially during the questions and open discussion segment.
This will be a fun way to encounter the basic foundations of Epicurean philosophy, and looking forward to seeing you all on April 30th.
Living for Pleasure by Emily Austin - April 30th meeting
Chapters 1 - 4
Chapter 1 - Maybe We’re Doing it Wrong
Chapter 2 - Epicureanism, the Original Cast
Chapter 3 - Happiness, Theirs and Ours
Chapter 4 - Natural Hedonism
That's a pretty layout, but there are SO many things wrong with that imagined conversation!
Yes! And this is how false ideas get spread, so it is important to set things straight as you have done in your paper (referenced above).
I found a conversion page for stadia to miles.
20 stadia = just about 2 miles
Now Don has the following in his paper, which looks like the distance was quite a bit less.
Cicero’s walk across Athens, through the Dipylon Gate, and ending at Plato’s Academy provides a tantalizing route for a walking tour through the ancient city. According to Cicero’s text, he and his friends walked six stades from the Dipylon Gate while talking about various topics (inde sermone vario sex illa a Dipylo stadia confecimus), and his companion Pomponius remarks that, upon arriving at the Academy, they had just passed (quos modo praeteribamus) Epicurus’s Garden.
I happened to find this just last night and this looks like a page from a book, and it is a collector's item. I've been looking to find out if there are any more "Epicurean conversations" by Landor to be found on the internet. Joshua, maybe you know about this?
(Source)
I happened to find this before the newsest posting by Don (article which talks about pinpointing the exact location of the Garden).
Here is a bit more about the writer and poet Landor...from Wikipedia:
The Imaginary Conversations were begun when Landor was living in Florence and were initially published as they were completed between 1824-9, by which time they filled three volumes. The dialogues, not yet divided into categories, were initially given the composite title Conversations of Literary Men and Statesmen. With their success Landor continued to write more, as well as to polish and add to those already published. Some appeared first in literary reviews, as for example the conversation between "Southey and Porson" on William Wordsworth's poetry in 1823, predating the first published series of conversations in the following year. Various supplemented editions followed each other until there were five volumes containing nearly 150 conversations.
I created this graphic as an attempt to illustrate possible ways to think of pleasure and pain as varying levels on a slider. This may need to be changed, and please let me know if there might be other ways to illustrate, or further questions.
Also, the following points:
1. When pain is removed it produces an experience of relief which is felt to be a kind of pleasure.
2. Even when one part of the body is in pain, pleasure can be felt in another part of the body.
3. At times mental pleasures can feel stronger than bodily pains.
4. Pleasure can only be varied (but not increased) once pain is removed.
