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Cassius
January 14, 2026 at 2:08 PM Replied to the thread Thomas Nail - Returning to Lucretius.PostThanks for those comments Bryan. I suppose to nail down another aspect of this discussion, would you or anyone else here advocate for Lucretius taking off in a bold new direction from Epicurus as to the nature of atoms? I suppose an interesting case… -
Cassius
January 14, 2026 at 1:59 PM Replied to the thread Exposition therapy,Courage and when choosing Pain.PostGood topic Matteng but please edit your first line:
[…]
I it looks like you mean to say " read / hear "
because you've included a lot that I don't think you read HERE!
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Matteng
January 14, 2026 at 1:19 PM Posted the thread Exposition therapy,Courage and when choosing Pain.ThreadIn the past I often read/here:
Stoicism = Stress management
Epicureanism = Stress avoidance
And that Suffering belongs to Life, and is needed for growing and that it is bad to shun pain.
And that Epicurean philosophy would teach to shun pain.
Stoics train… -
Kalosyni
January 14, 2026 at 12:45 PM Uploaded the image Many more pleasures than pains.Image/Video
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Bryan
January 14, 2026 at 10:50 AM Replied to the thread Thomas Nail - Returning to Lucretius.Post[…]
At every turn Lucretius is trying to translate, not transliterate, Epicurus. There are only a few exceptions (Such as homoeomeria, for which he apologizes for using only the transliteration.) To consider this translation a transformation is of course … -
Cassius
January 14, 2026 at 4:56 AM Replied to the thread Thomas Nail - Returning to Lucretius.PostOne more comment:
If what Nail is saying is that he sees much more emphasis on motion in Lucretius than he does in Epicurus, and that this is why we should not be overly focused on anything that is static, then I completely agree. I think motion is a… -
Cassius
January 14, 2026 at 4:30 AM Replied to the thread Thomas Nail - Returning to Lucretius.PostAlso Eikadistes I just glanced back over your recent article. What you wrote makes perfect sense to me in going over the many different words that were used as apparent synonyms for particles and stressing that we should pay attention to them.
But while I… -
Cassius
January 14, 2026 at 4:10 AM Replied to the thread Thomas Nail - Returning to Lucretius.PostI just read the article. I agree with some of Nail's points on ethics (especially his implicit or explicit criticism of too much focus on static / katastematic ideas) but I am not seeing the profound differences between Lucretius and Epicurus that he… -
Eikadistes
January 13, 2026 at 9:54 PM Replied to the thread Thomas Nail - Returning to Lucretius.PostThat's what I found, as well. H. A. J. Munro is the only author I've found who seems to consistently stick to Lucretius' neologisms, as opposed to inserting modern scientific jargon. I made a list of the vocabulary words and phrases that Lucretius uses… -
Kalosyni
January 13, 2026 at 9:49 PM Posted the thread Thomas Nail - Returning to Lucretius.Thread -
kochiekoch
January 13, 2026 at 9:16 PM Replied to the thread Roman Felicitas And Its Relevance to "Happiness".PostStunning reconstruction of Rome in all its colorful beauty.
One thing this version has that other's I've seen is lots of people. Those streets must have been PACKED. -
Cassius
January 13, 2026 at 9:37 AM Posted the thread Roman Felicitas And Its Relevance to "Happiness".ThreadWatching a video of a reconstruction of ancient Rome brought my attention to "Fausta Felicitas."
In addition to Virgil's "Felix quit potuit...." passage I presume that the Romans in general would have connected the word "Felicitas" to the happiness… -
kochiekoch
January 12, 2026 at 8:41 PM Replied to the thread Why Epicurus Railed Against Atheists And Questioned Their Sanity.PostIn this subject I recalled that religion in ancient societies like the Greeks and Romans had religion DEEPLY intertwined with public life. Denying the gods was unthinkable and, in their view, dangerous as it invited retaliation from the gods. There… -
Kalosyni
January 12, 2026 at 8:16 AM Posted the thread Exercise for the happiness of the modern soul.ThreadI just found this interesting article on how important exercise is, and that it is as effective as pharmacological threatments or psychological treatments. And it also helps with neuroplasticity:
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You can read the full article here. -
TauPhi
January 11, 2026 at 7:02 PM Replied to the thread Updating Of EpicurusToday.com.PostAristippus' anecdotes about sea voyages he took. Both come from Gnomologium Vaticanum (link below).
Aristippus the Cyrenian philosopher was shipwrecked sailing into Athens, and having been taken in by the Athenians and asked what he intended to tell his… -
Don
January 11, 2026 at 6:30 AM Replied to the thread Welcome JLPENDALL!.PostWelcome aboard, jlpendall -
Cassius
January 11, 2026 at 6:09 AM Replied to the thread Welcome JLPENDALL!.Postjlpendall tells us:
Hi Cassius!
I learned a little bit about Epicurus decades ago, but it was only after basically a lifetime of practicing various philosophies that his take on things started to click.
At 39, I’m starting the classic struggle of… -
Cassius
January 11, 2026 at 6:08 AM Posted the thread Welcome JLPENDALL!.ThreadWelcome jlpendall
There is one last step to complete your registration:
All new registrants must post a response to this message here in this welcome thread (we do this in order to minimize spam registrations).
You must post your response within 24… -
Joshua
January 10, 2026 at 10:32 AM Replied to the thread Updating Of EpicurusToday.com.PostAnd to be fair, the failure rate for sea journeys in ancient Greece was also abysmal. Protagoras, Zeno of Citium, and Aristippus were all shipwrecked, and a young Julius Caesar was captured by pirates. I'm sure there are many more such stories! -
Cassius
January 10, 2026 at 9:57 AM Replied to the thread Updating Of EpicurusToday.com.Post[…]
The odds an astronaut will die are 100% - just like anyone else.
We all die, but some of us want the maximum pleasure we can get out of life before we do!
And for some of us, the life of an astronaut would lead to maximizing pleasure.
The texts are very… -
Kalosyni
January 10, 2026 at 8:33 AM Replied to the thread Updating Of EpicurusToday.com.Post[…]
I am of the few who would say that Epicurus would not engage in spaceflight.
Just for fun I asked Google AI: In 2026, what are the odds that an astronaut will die?
Google response:
There's no precise "odds" for an astronaut death in 2026, but risks are… -
Cassius
PostJanuary 10, 2026 at 8:20 AM Reading ahead, there is a lot of useful information about Epicurus, and by no means is all of it criticism. We'll take as much time as we need to go through it, because this is some of the most authoritative summary material that survives from the… -
Cassius
PostJanuary 10, 2026 at 7:59 AM This paragraph is important for many reasons, not the least of which is that (1) Epicurus held that there is "nothing good but pleasure," (2) that it was not Epicurus but Hieronymous who held the good to be "absence of pain," and (3) that the Stoics held… -
Cassius
ThreadJanuary 10, 2026 at 7:44 AM Welcome to Episode 316 of Lucretius Today. This is a podcast dedicated to the poet Lucretius, who wrote "On The Nature of Things," the most complete presentation of Epicurean philosophy left to us from the ancient world. Each week we walk you through the… -
Cassius
January 10, 2026 at 7:39 AM Replied to the thread Updating Of EpicurusToday.com.Post[…]
It's certainly not the only way - but it is one way - to emphasize that Epicurean philosophy applies to everyone, that each of us gets old and eventually dies, and that we want the pleasure while we are alive of thinking that we are helping those who… -
Bryan
January 9, 2026 at 11:43 PM Replied to the thread Updating Of EpicurusToday.com.PostWow, that really looks GREAT! On a side note, I love young Epicurus in a spacesuit -- and it really is a fully appropriate image. THANK YOU!!! -
Cassius
January 9, 2026 at 9:06 PM Replied to the thread Updating Of EpicurusToday.com.PostThanks Joshua. I have more work to do on that so I will incorporate that as I revise the outline. It's difficult getting it working right on all screen sizes so if someone runs into a problem please let me know and Claude and I will adjust it! -
Joshua
January 9, 2026 at 7:38 PM Replied to the thread Updating Of EpicurusToday.com.PostThese are very useful! It did occur to me just now, though, that part is generally a higher order of classification than section--book -> part -> chapter -> section -> subsection--but I don't know if it's really worth fixing. As always Cassius thank… -
Cassius
January 9, 2026 at 3:57 PM Posted the thread Updating Of EpicurusToday.com.ThreadAs many of you know I have been working to consolidate many of the materials referenced here at EpicureanFriends.com which are currently scattered over a number of URLs.
I have revamped the existing EpicurusToday.com website to serve as a clearinghouse… -
Eikadistes
January 9, 2026 at 2:10 PM Uploaded the image Epicurus Is My Co-Pilot.Image/Video
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Patrikios
January 8, 2026 at 4:37 PM Replied to the thread Kalosyni's 2025 EpicureanFriends Year in Review.Post[…]
Thank you, Cassius , for you leadership and mentorship.I appreciate your thoughtful guidance for us newbies. You certainly help participants feel welcome and encouraged to share their thoughts and perspectives. This website is a place for… -
Patrikios
January 8, 2026 at 4:33 PM Replied to the thread Kalosyni's 2025 EpicureanFriends Year in Review.Post[…]
Eikadistes , this commentary from Cassius is well deserved! I have found it so valuable have a paperback copy of your Hedonicon (or the Holy Book of Epicurus) which is my Epicurean Bible. Thanks for compiling this book and for your living… -
Bryan
January 8, 2026 at 3:54 PM Replied to the thread Why Epicurus Railed Against Atheists And Questioned Their Sanity.PostTo get started, let me add some quotes that we are discussing.
From Philodemus:
"…having proposed that we pay attention to the writings of our own men – Epicurus reproached all the madness of those who abolish the divine from existing things – just… -
Cassius
January 8, 2026 at 3:45 PM Replied to the thread Episode 315 - TD 42 - Preventing Pain From Destroying Happiness.PostEpisode 315 of the Lucretius Today Podcast is now available. This week our episode is entitled: "Preventing Pain From Destroying Happiness"
[media]https://www.spreaker.com/episode/69358848/media -
wbernys
January 8, 2026 at 1:49 PM Replied to the thread Guilty conscience in Epicurean justice..Post[…]
Can you elaborate more on this? Is the preconception (I prefer basic grasp from Inwood and Gerson) something like "I naturally care about the people I am socializing with". I recall Torquatus mentioning some Epicureans who took the view that… -
wbernys
January 8, 2026 at 1:41 PM Replied to the thread Guilty conscience in Epicurean justice..Post[…]
This is probably the best way to look at it. If I fufill a desire to say become a murderer I may feel scared, isolated, or filled with regret but if I don't do those those things I simply have a minor pain of want which is easily dissolved. -
Godfrey
January 8, 2026 at 12:34 PM Replied to the thread Guilty conscience in Epicurean justice..Post -
Eikadistes
January 8, 2026 at 9:11 AM Replied to the thread Guilty conscience in Epicurean justice..Post...and as far as gaslighting goes, that's how I'd describe the other activities to which I think you are alluding. It's tough to be racist when nature finds diversity attractive, and it's tough to be bigoted when nature finds novelty exciting, and it's… -
Eikadistes
January 8, 2026 at 9:02 AM Replied to the thread Guilty conscience in Epicurean justice..Post[…]
Absolutely.
We define virtue as a good used to achieve the goal of pleasure, and we recognize virtuous behavior as acting "practically, properly, and peaceably" (KD5). Practicing these virtues requires choice and avoidance, like avoiding things that… -
Cassius
January 8, 2026 at 7:30 AM Replied to the thread Guilty conscience in Epicurean justice..PostI think this is a very good topic. Let's be careful and stay away from hot-button modern political issues but I do think it's important to distinguish the type of activity we're talking about feeling guilty about. "Disobeying god" would be a cause of… -
Martin
January 8, 2026 at 6:31 AM Replied to the thread Guilty conscience in Epicurean justice..PostFrom an Epicurean perspective, a guilty conscience may be considered a preconception if it has arisen from socialization in one's group and not from religious indoctrination. Such a preconception may be more efficient than fear of punishment. -
wbernys
January 8, 2026 at 5:35 AM Replied to the thread Guilty conscience in Epicurean justice..Post[…]
Agreed but with that said do you think a "feeling of guilt/disgust/shame" is something an Epicurean can hold as a genuine reason for virtuous activity or is it inheritantly reliant on a fallacy of "divine reason" or "fufilling our function", the same… -
Cassius
January 8, 2026 at 5:09 AM Replied to the thread Guilty conscience in Epicurean justice..PostGood issue for thought. My first thoughts:
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I wouldn't think the universality or lack thereof would have been as central. More central would be - as you mention - the falsity of the religious / divine reason context of "guilt." I don't think Epicurus… -
wbernys
January 8, 2026 at 2:34 AM Posted the thread Guilty conscience in Epicurean justice..ThreadEpicurus was a very forward thinker in his analysis on the virtue of justice being beneficial mainly for the mind because you don't have to deal with the constant anxiety of getting caught and a wise person would have no need of injustice as seen in PD… -
Daniel188
January 7, 2026 at 4:14 PM Has solved the quiz Lucretius Quiz One.Quiz -
Daniel188
January 7, 2026 at 4:10 PM Has solved the quiz Basic Epicurean Ethics.Quiz -
Daniel188
January 7, 2026 at 4:08 PM Has solved the quiz Basic Epicurean Physics.Quiz -
Daniel188
January 7, 2026 at 4:04 PM Has solved the quiz Basic Epicurean Canonics.Quiz -
Daniel188
January 7, 2026 at 4:01 PM Has solved the quiz Norman DeWitt's Epicurus and His Philosophy.Quiz
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