EpicureanFriends - Classical Epicurean Philosophy

Epicurus Defies Religion - Lucretius Quote

Here The Highest Good Is Pleasure — And Nothing Else

Here at EpicureanFriends the highest good is not virtue, tranquility, or "absence of pain" treated as if that term named some separate, higher goal. The single and unifying word that Epicurus teaches to be the supreme good of the best life is Pleasure. At EpicureanFriends our goal is to understand what this means as Epicurus taught it himself to his friends Herodotus, Pythocles, and Menoeceus, and to the world in his Principal Doctrines. This is how Epicurus was understood at the height of his influence by people such as Lucretius and Cicero's Epicurean spokesmen Torquatus and Velleius.

Pleasure answers the conceptual question of what is the highest good, but the practical question is "Which pleasures?" Epicurus held that all mental and physical experiences in life fall within either pleasure or pain, so the scope of choice is wide. Physical pleasures are necessary for life, but mental pleasures are necessary for happiness. The pleasures we choose to pursue will differ by individual circumstances, but some circumstances are universal: All of us eventually die and cease to exist. There are no supernatural forces or rules. Under these universal conditions, Epicurus teaches that Nature tells us to pursue maximum net pleasure -- not minimum total pain.

Many modern writers treat Epicurus as if he preached acceptance of whatever happens to be our lot so that we can achieve minimum total pain. This confuses Epicurus with Stoicism, Buddhism, or Humanism. Read why in articles such as Against Katastematic Supremacy: Pleasure Is a Unified Good, Not a House Divided Against Itself or others listed below. Epicurean happiness embraces active engagement with life and willing acceptance of pains which lead to greater net pleasure. It rejects retreat, resignation, and avoidance of all pain at every turn.

As a test, think about how you will judge your life when it nears its end. If you are the type who will be happiest if you can say that you lived your life pursuing the maximum net pleasure that was possible to you, then you are in the right place here at EpicureanFriends.

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Basic Rules: Not Neo-Epicurean, But Epicurean - And No Politics / No Supernatural Religion

Not Neo-Epicurean, But Epicurean
  1. Not "flourishing," "human potential," "self-actualization," or "meaningfulness," but happiness grounded in the feeling of pleasure.
  2. Not "absence of pain" as a full statement of the goal of life, but "the Feelings are two, pleasure and pain" and "Pleasure is the beginning and the end of a happy life."
  3. Not virtue for the sake of virtue, but virtue as instrumental for the attainment of pleasure.
  4. Not "the greatest good for the greatest number," but "Every desire must be confronted with this question: What will happen to me if the object of my desire is accomplished and what if it is not?"
  5. Not "humanism," "transhumanism," "individualism," "collectivism," "egoism," "altruism," "social progress," "Marxism," "democracy," "tyranny," or any "one size fits all" political ideal of any kind, but social structure based on friendship which "is formed and maintained by means of a community of life among those who have reached the fullness of pleasure."
  6. Not "hard determinism," but "some things happen from necessity, some from chance, and others through our own choice."
  7. Not "supernaturalism," but "materialism."
  8. Not "supernatural gods," or "life after death," but confidence in a fully material universe and "for those men for whom wisdom is possible, such men may truly live as gods."
  9. Not only "short term hedonism," but "it is to continuous pleasures that I invite you."
  10. Not "rationalism," but "all reason is dependent upon sensations."
  11. Not fearful of death nor careless of losing life, but valuing life for the opportunity of pleasure it brings.
Our Posting Policy At EpicureanFriends.com

"No Partisan Politics," "No Supernatural Religion," and "No Absolute Virtue"

This forum is dedicated to promoting the philosophy of Epicurus, and not to any partisan political positions whether "left," "right," or "center." The task of rediscovering Epicurean philosophy requires that such discussions be held elsewhere. Posts violating this rule are subject to removal.

Epicurean philosophy firmly rejects the viewpoint that there are any supernatural forces or absolute virtues or Platonic ideals of any kind. Argument which is based on supernatural claims, or "absolute" virtues or ideals of any kind, are in violation of this rule and subject to removal.

Epicurean Philosophy Map

Epicurean Philosophy

Physics ＋ Canonics ⟶ Ethics

Core Texts: Diogenes Laertius | Lucretius | Torquatus | Velleius | Topical Outline

⚛ Physics: The Nature of the Universe

⚛ Nothing Comes From Nothing or Goes To Nothing Supernaturally. Everything Happens Naturally From The Motion of Atoms Through Space. | Reference | Quotations | Discussion | Podcast |
⚛ The Universe Is Infinite In Size And Eternal In Time And Has No Gods Over It. There Is No Supernatural Design Or Existence Outside Of Nature. | Reference | Quotations | Discussion | Podcast |
⚛ True Divinity Is Incorruptible And Blessed. Beings Which Are Divine Do Not Reward Friends And Punish Enemies Or Intervene In Human Affairs. | Reference | Quotations | Discussion | Podcast |
⚛ Death Is Nothing To Us. When We Die We Cease To Exist. | Reference | Quotations | Discussion | Podcast |
⚛ There Is No Necessity To Live Under the Control of Necessity. There Is No Fate Or Destiny - We Decide How We Live. | Reference | Quotations | Discussion | Podcast |

📐 Canonics: How To Know What Is True

📐 He Who Says Nothing Can Be Known Knows Nothing. Knowledge Of Reality Is Possible. | Reference | Quotations | Discussion | Podcast |
📐 All Sensations Are True. Error Is In The Mind And Not The Senses. | Reference | Quotations | Discussion | Podcast |
📐 The Criteria of Truth Are The Sensations, Anticipations, and Feelings. These Natural Faculties Connect Us With Reality. | Reference | Quotations | Discussion | Podcast |
📐 Dialectical Logic And Radical Skepticism Do Not Determine Truth. Reasoning Must Be Grounded In The Perceptions Of Our Natural Faculties. | Reference | Quotations | Discussion | Podcast |
📐 Platonic Ideal Forms, Aristotelian Essences, And Divine Revelation Do Not Exist. All Truth Exists In This World. | Reference | Quotations | Discussion | Podcast |

🌿 Ethics: How To Live

🌿 Happiness Is the Goal of Life. A Life Of Happiness Is A Life In Which Pleasure Predominates Over Pain. | Reference | Quotations | Discussion | Podcast |
🌿 Pleasure Is the Guide, Beginning, And End Of The Happy Life. Pleasure Includes Not Just Bodily Stimulation But All Mental And Physical Experience We Find To Be Agreeable. | Reference | Quotations | Discussion | Podcast |
🌿 The Term "Pleasure" Is The Exact Equivalent Of "Absence of Pain." All Experiences Of Life Are Either Pleasurable Or Painful, With No Middle Ground, So The Presence Of One Means The Absence Of The Other. | Reference | Quotations | Discussion | Podcast |
🌿 Virtue Is Not Absolute Or An End In Itself. There Is Nothing Good But Pleasure And Nothing Evil But Pain. | Reference | Quotations | Discussion | Podcast |
🌿 Life Is Desirable, But Unlimited Time Contains No Greater Pleasure Than Limited Time. A Life Full Of Pleasure Can Never Be More Than Full No Matter How Much Time Is Available. | Reference | Quotations | Discussion | Podcast |

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"For this reason we call pleasure the beginning and end of the blessed life." — Epicurus, Letter to Menoeceus

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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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A Gate To Be Burst: "Absence of Pain"

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…
Cassius
February 12, 2024 at 1:26 PM
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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 of the details Epicurus taught. Whenever you find yourself frustrated that you don't know everything Epicurus had to say, recall his 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."

You don't always need the details — you need an understanding of the big picture, and you can always return to it through our Classical Epicurean Philosophy and Foundations of Epicurean Philosophy pages.

Trace The Major Concepts To The Key Documents

Physics -- The Nature of the Universe
Canonics -- The Science of Knowledge
  • Epicurus' standard of truth was "The Canon that fell from heaven" — our one fixed standard of judgment — Torquatus Book I §63
  • We must first fix clearly what each word means before we can discuss that which cannot be seen — Herodotus §37-38
  • The senses are the foundation of all knowledge — reasoning itself depends on them, and it is nonsense to claim nothing can be known — Lucretius IV.469, Lucretius IV.478, Lucretius IV.500
  • Perception happens through movement of atoms (images) that strike the senses and mind directly — Herodotus §46-50, Lucretius IV.722
  • The senses themselves never lie; illusions have natural physical explanations, and false judgments come from opinion added by the mind, not from the senses — Lucretius IV.353, Lucretius IV.462
  • There are two kinds of claims: what's logically certain, and what's merely provisional — Pythocles §86-87
  • Where more than one natural explanation fits the evidence equally well, all such explanations should be accepted as possible — Herodotus §79-80, Pythocles §95-96
  • The preconception argument for our knowledge of gods: prolepsis provides an innate, untaught predisposition that gods exist — Velleius §XVII
Ethics -- Nature's Path To The Best Life