Ethics - How To Live

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Ethics - General Discussion

In this section we discuss Epicurean Ethics and how to live as an Epicurean in a world where there are no supernatural gods and no life after death.

Threads: 116

Posts: 1.4k

Last Posts: Neither "ataraxia" nor "not ataraxia", but "Joy as the goal"

Kalosyni February 27, 2026 at 8:10 PM

Would It Be Fair To Say That Epicurus Taught "Lower Your Expectations And You'll Never Be Disappointed"?

kochiekoch February 1, 2026 at 8:33 PM

Happiness Is The Goal Of Life - Happiness Is A Life In Which Pleasure Predominates Over Pain

Threads: 9

Posts: 95

Last Posts: Roman Felicitas And Its Relevance to "Happiness"

kochiekoch January 13, 2026 at 9:16 PM

What Is Happiness? How Does Our Conception of It Derive From Eudaemonia and Felicitas? Should Happiness Be The Goal of Life?

Patrikios January 9, 2026 at 6:33 PM

Pleasure Is The Guide of Life

Threads: 14

Posts: 246

Last Posts: Comparing The Pleasure of A Great Physicist Making A Discovery To The Pleasure of A Lion Eating A Lamb

Cassius September 14, 2025 at 6:09 AM

A List of Pleasures Specifically Endorsed By Epicurus

Cassius September 9, 2025 at 11:48 AM

The Term "Pleasure" Means The Same As "Absence of Pain," And Includes All Experience Which Is Not Painful Not Painful

Threads: 30

Posts: 194

Last Posts: The Absence of Sin

Don April 22, 2025 at 8:03 AM

The "Lacking Nothing Of Their Natural Severity" Reference in the Letter to Idomeneus

Cassius February 9, 2025 at 8:56 PM

Emotion In Epicurean Philosophy

Threads: 1

Posts: 13

Last Posts: Stoic view of passions / patheia vs the Epicurean view

Kalosyni November 12, 2025 at 3:20 PM

Only Two Feelings - Pleasure and Pain - The Term Pleasure Includes Tranquility, Meaningfulness, Katastematic, Kinetic, Etc.

The Term Pleasure Includes Bodily as well as Mental Pleasures Such As Tranquility, Meaningfulness, Katastematic, Kinetic, Etc. Likewise The Term Pain Includes All Bodily and Mental Pains.

Threads: 35

Posts: 654

Last Posts: Confusion: "The feelings are only two"

Rolf May 28, 2025 at 1:09 PM

The “Absence of Pain” Problem

Al-Hakiim von Grof April 29, 2025 at 9:41 PM

Pain Is Manageable - It Is Short If Intense, Endurable If Long, And Terminable By Death

Threads: 3

Posts: 30

Last Posts: Exposition therapy,Courage and when choosing Pain

Matteng January 14, 2026 at 3:53 PM

Does The Wise Man Groan and Cry Out When On The Rack / Under Torture / In Extreme Pain?

Cassius July 1, 2025 at 8:50 AM

Life Is Desirable, But Unlimited Time Contains No Greater Pleasure Than Limited Time

Threads: 6

Posts: 30

Last Posts: David Sedley's "Epicurean vs Cyreniac Happiness"

Cassius February 26, 2025 at 3:29 PM

Key CItations - The Limit of Quantity of Pleasure Is Reached When All Pain Is Eliminated

Cassius October 4, 2023 at 12:20 PM

Choice And Avoidance ("Natural And Necessary"; "Natural and Unnecessary", Etc.)

VS 63 and why we do not pursue only "necessary" desires.

Threads: 14

Posts: 270

Last Posts: What Is The Relationship Between "Hedonic Calculus" Analysis" and "Natural and Necessary Desire" Analysis?

Bryan January 23, 2026 at 4:54 PM

Should References to "Natural" Be Understood As Contrasting "Given By Nature" to "Given By Convention"?

Cassius January 23, 2026 at 11:53 AM

To Live Unknown or To Engage With Society

Threads: 12

Posts: 79

Last Posts: What "Live Unknown" means to me (Lathe Biosas)

TauPhi October 10, 2025 at 11:47 AM

Articles concerning Epicurus and political involvement

sanantoniogarden July 1, 2025 at 2:29 PM

Virtue Is Not Absolute Or An End In Itself - All Good And Evil Consists In Sensation

Threads: 65

Posts: 380

Last Posts: Epicurean Virtue

Kalosyni February 8, 2026 at 9:19 AM

Alex O´Conners ethical view he calls "Emotivism"

Cassius January 3, 2026 at 9:24 AM

Friendship

Threads: 16

Posts: 129

Last Posts: Friendship discussion (moved from 20th conversation)

Pacatus April 29, 2025 at 6:02 PM

Gleaning Information About Epicurean Friendship From Cicero's "On Friendship"

Cassius February 2, 2025 at 7:21 AM

Courage

Threads: 1

Posts: 7

Last Posts: "Prayer" vs "Choice and Avoidance"

Don February 22, 2026 at 7:34 AM

Justice

Threads: 31

Posts: 301

Last Posts: Guilty conscience in Epicurean justice.

wbernys January 8, 2026 at 1:49 PM

Toward A Better Understanding of Epicurean Justice And Injustice (With Examples of "Just" and "Unjust")

Pacatus November 20, 2024 at 4:35 PM

Prudence

Threads: 0

Posts: 0

Honesty

Threads: 0

Posts: 0

Gratitude

Threads: 3

Posts: 4

Last Posts: Positive psychology article of the science of gratitude

Don November 27, 2024 at 8:27 PM

Key Citations On Gratitude

Cassius October 4, 2023 at 11:41 AM

Benevolence

Threads: 0

Posts: 0

Confidence and "Faith"

Threads: 2

Posts: 22

Last Posts: Video on "Confidence"

Cassius January 21, 2026 at 4:44 PM

"Faith" And Confidence In Epicurean Philosophy

Pacatus August 27, 2025 at 7:55 PM

Temperance

Threads: 0

Posts: 0

Consideration - Considerateness

Threads: 0

Posts: 0

Hope For The Future

Threads: 1

Posts: 1

Last Posts: Key Citations On Hope

Cassius October 4, 2023 at 12:14 PM

Living In The Present

Threads: 1

Posts: 1

Last Posts: Key Citations On Living In The Present

Cassius October 4, 2023 at 12:15 PM

Remembering Past Pleasures

Threads: 1

Posts: 5

Last Posts: The Art of Remembering

Don March 31, 2024 at 8:57 PM

The Tetrapharmakon

Threads: 5

Posts: 121

Last Posts: Diving Deep Into The History of The Tetrapharmakon / Tetrapharmakos

Patrikios November 9, 2025 at 4:00 PM

P.Herc. 1005 from Les Epicuriens (A First Draft Translation)

Bryan May 1, 2025 at 8:36 PM

Epicurean Life Strategies for Modern Times

For discussion of daily life as an Epicurean.

Threads: 108

Posts: 1k

Last Posts: "Choice" and "Avoidance"

Kalosyni February 28, 2026 at 12:21 PM

What kinds of goals do Epicureans set for themselves?

Kalosyni February 23, 2026 at 9:00 AM

Answering the "Quest For Meaning" In Epicurean Terms

Threads: 6

Posts: 84

Last Posts: The "meaning crisis" trend. How do you answer it as an Epicurean philosopher?

Sam_Qwerty July 23, 2025 at 6:47 PM

An Anti-Epicurean Article - "The Meaning of Life Is Not Happiness" (For Future Reference)

Pacatus November 19, 2024 at 12:17 PM

Creating Joy Through Pleasure

Threads: 0

Posts: 0

Health And Diet

Threads: 18

Posts: 153

Last Posts: Food, desire, and pleasure: What role should food take in an Epicurean lifestyle?

Pacatus November 26, 2025 at 6:09 PM

On Unhealthy Social Media Use / If Epicurus Were Alive Today, Would He Use A Smartphone?

Sam_Qwerty July 24, 2025 at 8:19 PM

Dealing with Emotions of Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Sadness

Threads: 24

Posts: 117

Last Posts: Exercise for the happiness of the modern soul

Kalosyni January 12, 2026 at 8:16 AM

Good Website for Self-Help and Learning Coping Skills (dealing with depression etc.)

Kalosyni December 15, 2025 at 11:34 AM

Dealing With Death, Dying, And Old Age

Threads: 23

Posts: 214

Last Posts: Dignitas founder Ludwig Minelli, dies by assisted suicide aged 92

Raphael Raul December 20, 2025 at 6:12 PM

Fear and/or grief concerning the death of others

Kalosyni August 5, 2025 at 7:59 PM

Stress Management

Threads: 3

Posts: 7

Last Posts: Minimalism to remove stress caused by too much stuff

Joshua May 23, 2025 at 3:23 PM

Box Breathing and Prolepsis

kochiekoch December 2, 2024 at 9:32 AM

Productivity and Time Management

Threads: 5

Posts: 17

Last Posts: Video: "Reverse Goalsetting"

Cassius December 30, 2025 at 5:01 PM

Increasing your ability to be effective and have good outcomes

Kalosyni August 21, 2024 at 10:25 AM

Material Goods and Money Management

Threads: 3

Posts: 32

Last Posts: Natural Wealth and Natural Goods in Epicureanism

Don August 14, 2022 at 9:04 AM

Philodemus' "On Property Management"

Cassius July 21, 2022 at 11:56 AM

Self-Sufficiency - Including Gardening, Farming, Agriculture

Threads: 4

Posts: 60

Last Posts: Interesting website that connects people to work-stay vacations - farms

sanantoniogarden July 1, 2025 at 5:10 PM

Dealing With Electric Grid Disruption

Julia May 13, 2024 at 4:22 AM

Romantic Love, Relationships, and Marriage

Threads: 24

Posts: 195

Last Posts: An Epicurean Understanding of Valentine's Day: Love, Romance, and Free-will

Kalosyni February 13, 2025 at 8:28 AM

Article "Asexuality and Epicureanism" by Max DuBoff on blog of the American Philosophical Association

Martin December 20, 2024 at 8:30 PM

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