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.
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109
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1.3k
Last Posts
Why was Epicurus condemned to the sixth circle of hell in Dante's Divine Comedy?
Eikadistes August 16, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Cicero's Comparison of the Life of Lucius Balbus (Pleasure) Against That Of Marcus Regulus (VIrtue)
Cassius August 6, 2025 at 8:55 AM

Pleasure Is The Guide of Life

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14
Posts
246
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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

Absence of Pain - By Pleasure We Mean All Experience That Is Not Painful

Threads
30
Posts
194
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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

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0
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0

"Good" and "Evil" Consist Only in Sensation

Threads
47
Posts
306
Last Posts
Venus and Mars - "Good" vs. "Evil"?
Cassius June 23, 2025 at 3:27 PM
A List of Objections To Epicurus From A Modern Christian - Hyde's "From Epicurus To Christ"
Bryan February 1, 2025 at 6:10 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

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2
Posts
27
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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
What is terrible is easy to endure
Kalosyni October 18, 2024 at 9:11 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

Happiness and its Relationship to Pleasure

Threads
6
Posts
71
Last Posts
Epicurean Philosophy In Relation To Gulags and the Rack
Pacatus April 30, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Is the Epicurean Always Happy?
Little Rocker June 3, 2024 at 5:27 PM

Virtue (A Means for Pleasure, Not an End in Itself)

Threads
16
Posts
61
Last Posts
What is Virtue and what aspects of Virtue does an Epicurean cultivate?
Matteng August 29, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Key Citations On Confidence
Don March 13, 2024 at 10:41 PM

Justice (Including Security And Social Structures)

Threads
30
Posts
289
Last Posts
Toward A Better Understanding of Epicurean Justice And Injustice (With Examples of "Just" and "Unjust")
Pacatus November 20, 2024 at 4:35 PM
Justice & Corruption
Pacatus November 14, 2024 at 4:23 PM

Friendship

Threads
17
Posts
141
Last Posts
On Friendship and Exertion of Effort
SillyApe September 2, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Friendship discussion (moved from 20th conversation)
Pacatus April 29, 2025 at 6:02 PM

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

"Faith" and Confidence

Threads
1
Posts
19
Last Posts
"Faith" And Confidence In Epicurean Philosophy
Pacatus August 27, 2025 at 7:55 PM

Temperance, Benevolence, Considerateness

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0
Posts
0

Wisdom, Prudence, and Honesty

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0
Posts
0

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

VS 63 and why we do not pursue only "necessary" desires.
Threads
11
Posts
228
Last Posts
Searching out the motives for all choice and avoidance
Kalosyni September 2, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Why pursue unnecessary desires?
Joshua May 8, 2025 at 12:17 AM

To Live Unknown or To Engage With Society

Threads
12
Posts
78
Last Posts
What "Live Unknown" means to me (Lathe Biosas)
Eikadistes August 13, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Articles concerning Epicurus and political involvement
sanantoniogarden July 1, 2025 at 2:29 PM

The Tetrapharmakon

Threads
5
Posts
119
Last Posts
Diving Deep Into The History of The Tetrapharmakon / Tetrapharmakos
Cassius May 14, 2025 at 1:19 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
102
Posts
966
Last Posts
Johari windows useful in Epicurean philosophy? (thread started by Adrastus)
Eikadistes July 6, 2025 at 11:06 AM
What place does "simple" have in Epicureanism?
Adrastus July 6, 2025 at 9:41 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

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0
Posts
0

Health And Diet

Threads
17
Posts
150
Last Posts
On Unhealthy Social Media Use / If Epicurus Were Alive Today, Would He Use A Smartphone?
Sam_Qwerty July 24, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Highly Palatable Foods and Over-eating
Kalosyni April 24, 2025 at 11:12 AM

Dealing with Emotions of Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Sadness

Threads
22
Posts
115
Last Posts
Special Emphasis On "Emotions" In Lucretius Today Podcast / Tusculan Disputations - Should Everyone Aspire To Emulate Mr. Spock?
Cassius June 29, 2025 at 3:39 PM
BASIC-ph Model of Coping
Kalosyni April 23, 2025 at 6:57 PM

Dealing With Death, Dying, And Old Age

Threads
22
Posts
210
Last Posts
Fear and/or grief concerning the death of others
Kalosyni August 5, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Epicurus And The Dylan Thomas Poem - "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night"
Adrastus July 9, 2025 at 3:42 AM

Stress, Time Management, and Personal Productivity

Threads
7
Posts
23
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

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

Parenting and Childhood Education

No! Epicurus was not uneducated: the real philistines are those who ask us to go on studying till old age the subjects that we ought to be ashamed not to have learned as children.
Threads
2
Posts
3
Last Posts
Recreate an Ancient Scroll - For kids (and crafters)
Kalosyni October 21, 2023 at 11:39 AM
Epicurean Philosophy for Parents
Cassius February 22, 2021 at 9:14 AM

Remembering The Past

Threads
1
Posts
5
Last Posts
The Art of Remembering
Don March 31, 2024 at 8:57 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

Hope For The Future

Threads
1
Posts
1
Last Posts
Key Citations On Hope
Cassius October 4, 2023 at 12:14 PM

Unread Threads

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