Welcome Silverwater!

    Welcome Silverwater !


    Note: In order to minimize spam registrations, all new registrants must respond in this thread to this welcome message within 72 hours of its posting, or their account is subject to deletion. All that is required is a "Hello!" but of course we hope you will introduce yourself -- tell us a little about yourself and what prompted your interest in Epicureanism -- and/or post a question.


    This forum is the place for students of Epicurus to coordinate their studies and work together to promote the philosophy of Epicurus. Please remember that all posting here is subject to our Community Standards / Rules of the Forum our Not Neo-Epicurean, But Epicurean and our Posting Policy statements and associated posts.


    Please understand that the leaders of this forum are well aware that many fans of Epicurus may have sincerely-held views of what Epicurus taught that are incompatible with the purposes and standards of this forum. This forum is dedicated exclusively to the study and support of people who are committed to classical Epicurean views. As a result, this forum is not for people who seek to mix and match some Epicurean views with positions that are inherently inconsistent with the core teachings of Epicurus.


    All of us who are here have arrived at our respect for Epicurus after long journeys through other philosophies, and we do not demand of others what we were not able to do ourselves. Epicurean philosophy is very different from other viewpoints, and it takes time to understand how deep those differences really are. That's why we have membership levels here at the forum which allow for new participants to discuss and develop their own learning, but it's also why we have standards that will lead in some cases to arguments being limited, and even participants being removed, when the purposes of the community require it. Epicurean philosophy is not inherently democratic, or committed to unlimited free speech, or devoted to any other form of organization other than the pursuit by our community of happy living through the principles of Epicurean philosophy.


    One way you can be most assured of your time here being productive is to tell us a little about yourself and personal your background in reading Epicurean texts. It would also be helpful if you could tell us how you found this forum, and any particular areas of interest that you have which would help us make sure that your questions and thoughts are addressed.


    In that regard we have found over the years that there are a number of key texts and references which most all serious students of Epicurus will want to read and evaluate for themselves. Those include the following.


    1. "Epicurus and His Philosophy" by Norman DeWitt
    2. The Biography of Epicurus by Diogenes Laertius. This includes the surviving letters of Epicurus, including those to Herodotus, Pythocles, and Menoeceus.
    3. "On The Nature of Things" - by Lucretius (a poetic abridgement of Epicurus' "On Nature"
    4. "Epicurus on Pleasure" - By Boris Nikolsky
    5. The chapters on Epicurus in Gosling and Taylor's "The Greeks On Pleasure."
    6. Cicero's "On Ends" - Torquatus Section
    7. Cicero's "On The Nature of the Gods" - Velleius Section
    8. The Inscription of Diogenes of Oinoanda - Martin Ferguson Smith translation
    9. A Few Days In Athens" - Frances Wright
    10. Lucian Core Texts on Epicurus: (1) Alexander the Oracle-Monger, (2) Hermotimus
    11. Philodemus "On Methods of Inference" (De Lacy version, including his appendix on relationship of Epicurean canon to Aristotle and other Greeks)
    12. "The Greeks on Pleasure" -Gosling & Taylor Sections on Epicurus, especially the section on katastematic and kinetic pleasure which explains why ultimately this distinction was not of great significance to Epicurus.

    It is by no means essential or required that you have read these texts before participating in the forum, but your understanding of Epicurus will be much enhanced the more of these you have read. Feel free to join in on one or more of our conversation threads under various topics found throughout the forum, where you can to ask questions or to add in any of your insights as you study the Epicurean philosophy.


    And time has also indicated to us that if you can find the time to read one book which will best explain classical Epicurean philosophy, as opposed to most modern "eclectic" interpretations of Epicurus, that book is Norman DeWitt's Epicurus And His Philosophy.


    Welcome to the forum!


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    Thanks for welcoming me to your community! I hope to contribute to pleasurable discussion and learn from all of you.


    Apologies for the longer post. Was tough to summarize how I got here. Like a lot of you, it has been a messy, complicated journey with a lot of ups and downs!


    I completed the American Dream "successfully" (MBA six-figure salary, spouse, two kids, big house, boat, RV, etc) and was rewarded with depression, poor health, crushing debt, drug addiction, and little personal time.


    A little over a year, I radically changed my life. I quit my job, drained the retirement savings, sold most of my possessions, and moved my family of four into a 300sq ft travel trailer. We've lived simply over the past year, taking pleasure in each other and friends, and prioritizing experience over products. We have recently moved into a small house to accommodate our kid's schooling better, but we still live as we did in the camper. Once the main goal in my life wasn't wealth and work, and I stopped seeking happiness from the things that I bought, I felt a sense of peace I've never felt before


    A few weeks ago I was walking out of our public library and the book Living for Pleasure by Emily Austin caught my eye in the new releases section. I never heard of Epicurus, but given my recent personal changes, I thought it would be worth a skim. I quickly learned that the ideas of Epicurus are not something read, but felt, and I think that is one of the huge differences between this and other philosophies(and self-help). Since this is based off natural science, most of the ideas will have justification/evidence in our own lives, feelings, and behavior. There is no need for additional "fluff arguments" to support opinionated foundational claims.


    Thank you for the read! I hope to get to know some of you a lot better through discussion and debate!


    -Chris

    Sounds great and thanks for introducing yourself! Look forward to hearing from you as you proceed. Emily Austin's book is a great place to start.

    Silverwater, Welcome to the forum! :)


    I notice you added an interesting avatar to your profile. If you don't mind, I would be curious to hear about any symbolism or meaning behind it?

    Quote from Kalosyni

    Silverwater, Welcome to the forum! :)


    I notice you added an interesting avatar to your profile. If you don't mind, I would be curious to hear about any symbolism or meaning behind it?

    Kalosyni Thank you!


    I appreciate the question. This was the avatar I used on my corporation's internal social media website when I was first promoted into IT Management and learned the joys of working long hours as a salaried employee. Being IT support, I was on-call all the time, and working nights and weekends putting out "fires" consistently(thus the avatar). I bragged to friends and co-workers about not sleeping, how busy I was, and how much work my team was getting done for the love of the company! I was so PROUD!


    Today, it serves as a reminder of what I thought success and happiness were.....and I think it looks kind of cool :)

    Quote from Silverwater

    Today, it serves as a reminder of what I thought success and happiness were.....and I think it looks kind of cool :)

    Okay thanks, so that "running guy" is putting out fires, and not on fire himself.


    You mentioned Emily Austin's book, so guessing maybe you have already listened to the interview on the Lucretius Today podcast? Part 1and Part 2

    Welcome! I can relate to your story of Epicurus accompanying big life changes. The philosophy has been an illuminating companion for me over the past 2 years or so of study.

    Quote from Kalosyni
    Quote from Silverwater

    Today, it serves as a reminder of what I thought success and happiness were.....and I think it looks kind of cool :)

    Okay thanks, so that "running guy" is putting out fires, and not on fire himself.


    You mentioned Emily Austin's book, so guessing maybe you have already listened to the interview on the Lucretius Today podcast? Part 1and Part 2

    Yes, though I think it was a bit of both.


    I have not listened to that yet, but look forward to it. I'm a little overwhelmed with the amount of content on this site to look through!

    Quote from Root304

    Welcome! I can relate to your story of Epicurus accompanying big life changes. The philosophy has been an illuminating companion for me over the past 2 years or so of study.

    Thank you!


    I hope to gleam some insights as well!