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Yes! Pleasure Does Include "Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll," But It Also Includes A Whole Lot More - And The Proper Understanding Of That Is The "Secret" To Epicurean Philosophy.

EpicureanFriends.com is the internet home of Classical Epicurean Philosophy, where Happiness understood as a life of Pleasure is the goal, not "Ataraxia," "Tranquility," "Virtue," "Piety," "Minimalism," "Asceticism," or any other "Ism." But just like those other words, the word "Pleasure" bears close consideration, and that's a large part of what we discuss here while we focus on what Epicurus actually taught.

We only have short letters left to read from Epicurus himself, but for two thousand years the teachings of Epicurus have been explained to all who would read it in concise and insightful form. Marcus Tullius Cicero, though himself an enemy of Epicurus, was surrounded by Epicurean friends. Cicero preserved for us an advanced explanation of how Epicurus held that "pleasure" does not simply mean outside stimulation, it also includes everything mental or physical in life that we find to be desirable. The full explanation of that position is available to you today in the speech of Lucius Manlius Torquatus, which you can review in the video above or read in various translations here.

But of course there's much more to the fundamentals as Epicurus taught them himself:

Epicurus taught a complete system that constitutes a revolutionary paradigm as to the nature of the universe, the nature of thought and truth, and the nature of the best life. Classical Epicurean Philosophy rejects many conventional assumptions that prevail as to "happiness," "pleasure," "gods," "virtue," and even "good and evil."

How does Epicurus challenge the prevailing wisdom? According to Epicurus, "happiness" is not a meaningless abstraction, but means specifically a life in which pleasure predominates over pain. "Gods" do exist, but gods are not supernatural, omniscient, omnipresent, or omnipotent. "Pleasure" is focus of happiness and the goal of life, but pleasure is not limited to sensory stimulation alone. "Virtue" is important in order to live happily, but virtue is not an end it itself. "Good" and "Evil" are not abstract absolutes, but evaluations based on pleasure and pain felt by real living beings. "Practical Reason" is essential for successful living, but "dialectical logic" is mere wordplay and useless for determining truth.

It is the goal of EpicureanFriends to explore the ideas of Epicurus and explain them to the modern world. For further introduction to Epicurean terminology, see our video "The Epicurean Paradigm Shift," and consult our wiki and our FAQ page. These same issues are discussed in Episode 222 of our Lucretius Today Podcast.

The heart of EpicureanFriends is our Forum, where those who are sincere about the study of Epicurus can interact in a sympathetic and supportive environment.

Featured Content:

The Major Doctrines of Classical Epicurean Philosophy

"Philosophy For The Millions" - An Introduction to Epicurus

"The Epicurean Paradigm Shift" - What To Know Before Reading Epicurus

"Living For Pleasure" - An Interview With Dr. Emily Austin


"Theory And Practice In Epicurean Political Philosophy" - An Interview With Dr. Marcelo Boeri


"Epicurean Canonics and Prolepsis" - An Interview With Dr. David Glidden

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Featured Articles

On Pain, Pleasure, And Happiness

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.
Elayne
July 15, 2019 at 2:18 PM
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Getting Started With EpicureanFriends:
  1. Familiarize Yourself with the Fundamentals of Epicurean Philosophy - First review the section of our Wiki on The Epicurean Paradigm Shift. Then review our outline of eleven key aspects of Classical Epicurean Philosophy (summarized in our Welcome Video). You can also review our longer Foundations of Epicurean Philosophy. These sections of our site are geared to getting you "up and running" as quickly as possible - but for those who want the quickest and most thorough grounding, the best place to start by far is to locate a copy of Norman DeWitt's Epicurus and His Philosophy.
  2. Read Our Forums - It is not necessary to have an account in order to read our forums. We recommend everyone browse the forums before requesting an account. Start in the General Discussion forum, or any of our many Special Topic forums. For help finding a particular topic, check our Featured Forum Threads page or use the Search function at the top of each page. You can also search by Popular Tags or Full List of Tags. We also have Outlines and Forum Short-Cuts. For return visits bookmark our Latest Posts or Dashboard page.
  3. Read Our Wiki - We are in the process of preparing a general reference in the forum of the EpicureanFriends Wiki. It's a work in progress but should be useful even now to new readers of the site.
  4. Read Our FAQ - Our Frequently Asked Questions section answers many of the questions that normally come up during study. (If you have an account and find something missing, let us know and we'll add to it).
  5. Read Our Collection of Core Epicurean Texts - We keep a curated online collection of Ancient Epicurean Texts, including Diogenes Laertus Book 10 and many others.
  6. Read The Two Books We Most Recommend - Epicurus and His Philosophy by Norman DeWitt, and Living For Pleasure: An Epicurean Guide to Life by Emily Austin. Austin's book provides an attractive and practical introduction geared toward those who are just starting with the philosophy, and DeWitt's book provides a sweeping overview of the philosophy with many additional details.
  7. Listen To Our Podcast - The Lucretius Today Podcast series now extends to well over 200 episodes since we started with Episode One in 2020. Episodes of special note include Lucretius Today Interviews Dr. Emily Austin,and especially Episode 200 our anniversary episode discussing our past and future plans for the podcast. We also particularly recommend Episode 222 where we discuss key terminology issues surrounding "happiness" and "pleasure" and "virtue."
  8. View Our Featured Presentations - Videos & Audio - We curate a number of selected Videos and Articles prepared by participants at EpicureanFriends which discuss Epicurus from the perspective of Classical Epicurean Philosophy.
  9. Visit Our Youtube Page - Our Epicurean Friends Youtube Page provides useful videos produced over the years. Of special note are our Seven Steps With Epicurus slideshow and our Foundations of Epicurean Philosophy presentation.
  10. Check Out Our Full List of Special Resources - Our Special Resources Page provides a variety of informative items prepared by our forum members.
  11. Check Out Our Recommended Reading - In addition to the two books we recommend the most, referenced above, we have a full Recommended Reading List of additional books and articles.
  12. Check Out Our Image Gallery - Our Images section provides a collection of images, graphics, and memes by EpicureanFriends forum members. A special selection of our Featured Images is here.
  13. Check Out Our Quiz Section - Currently we have a Quiz Section to test your knowledge of basic aspects of Epicurean philosophy. In the future we hope to offer you organized Epicurean Week and Epicurean Seven Week Programs.
  14. Prepare Your Own Personal Outline of Epicurean Philosophy - As suggested by Epicurus to Herodotus, and as in the example Thomas Jefferson left to us in his personal writings, one of the best ways to internalize Epicurean Philosophy is to write it out in outline forum. See our resources here for sample outlines that help you navigate this site, and work with others who have posted for us their own outlines here.
  15. Participate in Our Forum By Registering An Account - The activities listed above are open to anyone, without an account. For those who are sincerely interested in the study of Epicurus and who wish to collaborate with the EpicureanFriends community, we welcome you to register an account. Upon registration you will be given “Introductory Member” basic level access, which allows you to post in basic forums, use our self-study Quiz section, and attend our First Monday Meet-and-Greet Zoom meeting. Before you register, please be sure to read our foundational documents. These include our Community Standards, our Not Neo-Epicurean, But Epicurean statement, and our Key Posting Policy statement. If you too find yourself interested in pursuing Classical Epicurean Philosophy, your next step is to register! To Create An Account Click Here.
  16. Attend Our Zoom Meetings- Those who register an account and establish a pattern of productive participation will be invited to our First Monday Meet And Greet meeting, which we conduct on the first Monday of each month. Those who continue thereafter to participate productively will eventually be invited to become “Established Members,” and to join our Wednesday night Zoom study groups and our monthly Twentieth Meeting, and participate in sections of our discussion forum which are limited to Established Members. To find our how we conduct our Zoom meetings and what to expect, click here.
  17. Think You May Have Missed Something? Check our Site Map for a listing of all major sections of this site. If you have questions, please feel free to ask any member of our Moderator Team.
  18. A Final Word: Never allow yourself to get so "deep in the weeds" that you lose sight of the fundamental Epicurean truths that there are no supernatural gods and that there is no life after death. Many of the doctrines and sayings of Epicurus are very deep, and the fragmentary nature of some of the texts sometimes leaves us uncertain the details that Epicurus taught. Whenever you find yourself frustrated that you don't know everything that Epicurus had to say, recall to mind Epicurus' advice to Herodotus: "For we have frequent need of the general view, but not so often of the detailed exposition. Indeed it is necessary to go back on the main principles, and constantly to fix in one’s memory enough to give one the most essential comprehension of the truth. And in fact the accurate knowledge of details will be fully discovered if the general principles in the various departments are thoroughly grasped and borne in mind; for even in the case of one fully initiated the most essential feature in all accurate knowledge is the capacity to make a rapid use of observation and mental apprehension, and this can be done if everything is summed up in elementary principles and formulae. For it is not possible for anyone to abbreviate the complete course through the whole system, if he cannot embrace in his own mind by means of short formulae all that might be set out with accuracy in detail." In other words, you don't always need the details, but you do need an understanding of the big picture, and you can always return to those by going back to our Classical Epicurean Philosophy and our Foundations of Epicurean Philosophy pages!
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Finding Things At EpicureanFriends.com

What's the best strategy for finding things on EpicureanFriends.com? Here's a suggested search strategy:

  • First, familiarize yourself with the list of forums. The best way to find threads related to a particular topic is to look in the relevant forum. Over the years most people have tried to start threads according to forum topic, and we regularly move threads from our "general discussion" area over to forums with more descriptive titles.
  • Use the "Search" facility at the top right of every page. Note that the search box asks you what section of the forum you'd like to search. If you don't know, select "Everywhere." Also check the "Search Assistance" page.
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