Articles

Epicurean Basics ( Discussion of the Article At the Epicurus Facebook Page ) Epicurean philosophy is best known for its advocacy of “Pleasure” as the guide to life. Epicurus taught that Nature endows humans (and all anim

Top Problematic Attitude and “Life Premise” Issues Made Worse By Stoicism and Cured by Epicurean Philosophy Cassius Amicus 01-31-2017 With the assistance of input from the Facebook group, I have been working on a list of

The following is a summary of citations relevant to the understanding of the pursuit of pleasure in Epicurean philosophy.

\n \n Understanding Epicurus takes considerable effort, but not because the doctrines are difficult - they're not! The problem is that Epicurean philosophy has been heavily criticized for more than two thousand years, an

\n \n A Five Star Presentation of Epicurean Philosophy \n I think it's important that we begin to present Epicurean philosophy through podcasts and other audio-video means, so as a test I put together this basic Youtube

\n \n \n The Epicurean Viewpoint \n \n by George Kaplanis founding member of the Epicurean Garden in Thessaloniki Now I ask you: what is the “Epicurean Viewpoint”? - It is the view that we gain from looking through the C

\n Epicurean Influences On The Enlightenment \n by Dimitris Altas, Cardiologist, member of the epicurean team epicuros21, Thessaloniki, Hellas. In 1453 the Ottomans conquered Constantinople by abolishing the Eastern Roma

\n \n Epicurean Philosophy, Modern Science, and Life \n \n Source for the following article: Technion - Israel Institute of Technology \n \n A live conversation between Christos Yapijakis , geneticist and philosopher, Na

WE AND THE STOICS TODAY, or “To Those from the Stoa” \n by Dimitris Liarmakopoulos, member of the Epicurean Garden in Thessaloniki 27.11.2015 A proposition about Stoicism on an Epicurean website causes at least reasonabl

Brief: The feelings are only two, pleasure and pain—there is no third state such as neutral, and there are no “fancy pleasures” which are different from regular pleasures. Because there is no neutral, reducing pain in life is only possible if there is a corresponding increase in pleasure. The extent of pleasure can be maximized by making sure to attend to all parts of one’s body, including the brain. Happiness is comprised of a pleasurable life. The capacity for pain is a valuable warning system and should not be disabled except in unusual conditions. The experience of pain is to be avoided except when it is chosen for the sake of greater pleasure/ lesser pain over the lifespan. Humans have many shared responses of pain or pleasure to specific experiences, and they also have individual variations. The standard of pleasure in one’s life must be one’s own subjective feelings, not a generic advice. There are many pitfalls to avoid if one desires a happy, pleasure-filled life, such as a false belief in a neutral state, practices which attempt to disable the normal capacity to feel pleasure and pain, and failure to consider the long-term pains and pleasures resulting from actions. In discussing pain and pleasure, Epicureans stick to real life situations, not hypothetical philosophical puzzles.

Read about the Core Aspects of the Epicurean Philosophy emphasized here at EpicureanFriends by clicking the link: Core Aspects of the Epicurean Philosophy . For a "compare and contrast version of the same viewpoint, the

Below is the Wikipedia introduction to Epicurus as of 02/06/20. I will highlight in red, and add a footnote to each statement which I contend is in serious need of correction or amplification. Epicurus ( Ancient Greek :

Several conversations lately have led me to want to produce a new article on what I would contend are some of the most important take-aways from the teachings of Epicurus. These are the points with which I would start if

Here is a listing of ten key steps of Epicurean reasoning. There is nothing magic about this grouping but it's an effort to combine a manageable set of key points with important citations supporting them: \n The best lif

In Episodes 156 and 157, the Lucretius Today podcasters interviewed Dr. Emily Austin, author of 2022's "Living For Pleasure."

In Episode 197 of the Lucretius Today Podcast, on October 19, 2023, we were privileged to speak with Dr. Marcelo Boeri, co-author with Javier Aoiz of Theory and Practice In Epicurean Political Philosophy - Security, Justice, and Tranquility.

In Episode 166 the Lucretius Today podcasters interviewed Dr. David Glidden, professor emeritus from the University of California - Riverside, about his articles "Epicurean Prolepsis" and "Epicurean Thinking.

It is interesting to think about what Lucretius had in mind in Book One of “On The Nature of Things” when he spoke about Epicurus "yearning to be the first to burst through the close-set bolts upon the gates of nature." What kind of gates was he talking about? Who bolted them? How do those gates keep us from Nature?

I can't be sure which gates Lucretius had in mind, but I can suggest one "gate" that is particularly in need of bursting, as it stands directly in the way of a better understanding…

For over two hundred years, obscurity has surrounded the identity of the anonymous translator of one of the first readable prose editions of Lucretius in the English language. In this article, Joshua tracks down the evidence and concludes that it points in one direction.

This page presents a summary of Classical Epicurean Philosophy . For additional citations to Epicurean texts, click here.

Nothing Comes From Nothing Or Goes To Nothing Supernaturally

Working solely with the science available two thousand years ago, Epicurus observed that nothing ever arises from nothing, and nothing is ever completely destroyed to nothing. From this Epicurus deduced the existence of atoms - elemental particles moving through empty space from which over time all things are made…

https://youtu.be/ZYUt4TFBRMU 1. Introduction: The Epicurean Paradigm Shift In Book Two of his work On The Ends of Good And Evil, the Roman statesman and philosopher Cicero wrote in regard to Epicurus' view of Pleasure th

E.S. XXXVI (36) The life of Epicurus, when compared with that of other philosophers, seems almost legendary thanks to the calmness and self-sufficiency that distinguished him. ----- In Mytilene, where once philosophical

View on substack here.

Throughout history, philosophers, priests, and political authorities have promoted ideas about life, reality, and human nature that sound profound but are in fact deeply mistaken — and whose effect, whether intended or not, is to make ordinary people feel guilty, fearful, and dependent on outside authorities for guidance. These ideas spread from generation to generation the way a virus spreads through a population: not because they are true, but because they are…

We recognize that not everyone who visits our page is ready, willing, or able to register a full account at EpicureanFriends.

For those who would prefer to submit questions to us by email, we've set up a "Question Line" at Questions@epicureanfriends.com .

Send us an email with your question, and if we find it to be of general interest we'll set up a thread and our participants here can discuss what they think might be the best answers to your topic.

We can't promise to respond to each one, but if…

A transcription of Don's research paper tracing the ancient textual and archaeological evidence for the location of Epicurus's Garden and house in Athens -- arguing it stood along one of the city's busiest roads, not hidden away.