Welcome Timrobbe!

Sunday Weekly Zoom.  12:30 PM EDT - November 9, 2025 - Discussion topic: "Epicurus on Good and Evil". To find out how to attend CLICK HERE. To read more on the discussion topic CLICK HERE.

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    Welcome timrobbe! And thanks for joining us! When you get a chance, please tell us about yourself and your background in Epicurean philosophy.

    It would be particularly helpful if you could tell us (1) how you found this forum, and (2) how much background reading you have done in Epicurus. As an aid in the latter, we have prepared the following list of core reading.

    We look forward to talking with you!

    ----------------------- Epicurean Works I Have Read ---------------------------------

    1 The Biography of Epicurus By Diogenes Laertius (Chapter 10). This includes all Epicurus' letters and the Authorized Doctrines. Supplement with the Vatican list of Sayings.

    2 "Epicurus And His Philosophy" - Norman DeWitt

    3 "On The Nature of Things"- Lucretius

    4 Cicero's "On Ends" - Torquatus Section

    5 Cicero's "On The Nature of the Gods" - Velleius Section

    6 The Inscription of Diogenes of Oinoanda - Martin Ferguson Smith translation

    7 "A Few Days In Athens" - Frances Wright

    8 Lucian Core Texts on Epicurus: (1) Alexander the Oracle-Monger, (2) Hermotimus (3) Others?

    9 Plato's Philebus

    10 Philodemus "On Methods of Inference" (De Lacy version, including his appendix on relationship of Epicurean canon to Aristotle and other Greeks)

    11 "The Greeks on Pleasure" -Gosling & Taylor Sections on Epicurus, especially on katastematic and kinetic pleasure.

    Hello,


    My name is Tim. I am 42 years old, from the Netherlands, married, three children. Occupation: lawyer.
    I have been reading philosophy and religious texts from the age of 12. Strangely enough, Epicurus did not get that much attention in the books and magazines I read. Socrates, Plato and Artistotle seemed (and seem) to be the “big three” in Greek philosophy. About two years ago I was really looking for guidance, and stumbled on the stoics: Seneca, Marcus and Epictetus. I found stoicism to be inspirational, but a little grimm. Seneca and Marcus refer to Epicurus ocassionaly, so I became curious. Then I found the book “how to be an Epicurean” (as a reply to: “How to be a Stoic”). The first things I read on Epicureanism made me wonder if it would be as inspiriatonal as stoicism, but more realistic as for the role of human emotions and pleasure. It does. Throug a Google search I found this website. And I am now reading De Witt’s “Epicurus and his philosophy”. So, I am new to Epicureanism but not a total novice on philosophy and religion (I already was an atheïst and materialist by the way).
    Looking forward to learning from you and your site. What I have read until now feels like coming home.
    Kind regards.

    Thank you for that introduction Tim, and welcome! Please feel free to post any comments that you have in any of the threads, or make your own threads on any topic that comes to mind. I think that when people are first reading through a new work like the Dewitt book they have all sorts of thoughts that they have no one to express them to, but those are perfect for this forum -- it helps us to hear what people find to be of interest, so please feel free to think out loud here while you are reading. Again - welcome!

    Quote from timrobbe

    The first things I read on Epicureanism made me wonder if it would be as inspiriatonal as stoicism,

    Hi Tim. Yes it is...not only as inspirational but even more so. I don't have much time left to explain it now (maybe tomorrow), but rest assured that Ryan Holiday of Stoic group has a lot of counter-parts here. :)

    "It is not the pretended but the real pursuit of philosophy that is needed; for we do not need the appearance of good health but to enjoy it in truth."

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