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    Welcome ZarathustrasGarden !

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    Please say "Hello" by introducing yourself, tell us what prompted your interest in Epicureanism and which particular aspects of Epicureanism most interest you, 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 and associated Terms of Use. Please be sure to read that document to understand our ground rules.

    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 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 most other philosophies, 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 of truth and happy living through pleasure as explained in the principles of Epicurean philosophy.

    One way you can be assured of your time here will be productive is to tell us a little about yourself and 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 already have.

    You can also check out our Getting Started page for ideas on how to use this website.

    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.

    "Epicurus and His Philosophy" by Norman DeWitt

    The Biography of Epicurus by Diogenes Laertius. This includes the surviving letters of Epicurus, including those to Herodotus, Pythocles, and Menoeceus.

    "On The Nature of Things" - by Lucretius (a poetic abridgement of Epicurus' "On Nature"

    "Epicurus on Pleasure" - By Boris Nikolsky

    The chapters on Epicurus in Gosling and Taylor's "The Greeks On Pleasure."

    Cicero's "On Ends" - Torquatus Section

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

    The Inscription of Diogenes of Oinoanda - Martin Ferguson Smith translation

    A Few Days In Athens" - Frances Wright

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

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

    "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.

    (If you have any questions regarding the usage of the forum or finding info, please post any questions in this thread).

    Welcome to the forum!

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    Hello friends! Pleased to make your company! As I have already written a rather long introduction message for Cassius, I figured I would just post what I said there and add a little to the end.

    My philosophical history and journey to Epicureanism is quite interesting. I myself was raised Catholic, but was rather indifferent to it until in my late teens I got more interested in the faith, influenced heavily by the works of Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle (I had heard the 5 ways, then read some arguments for God and the church from Saint Anselm as well as excerpts from the Summa Theological and Summa Contra Gentiles, as well as De Anima and some of Aristotle's other work regarding metaphysics).

    There were many things within the faith, however, that I found myself unable to be convinced of (the supernatural realm, belief in essences even with Aristotle’s middle solution of essences existing concretely in things but abstractly in minds, Plato’s third man problem as well as his later work turning away from essentialism and moving to a quasi-Wittgensteinian understanding of particulars, as well as various other issues with the metaphysics and historicity of the Church) got me to explore other thinkers. Chiefly, at this point I was interested in the work of Friedrich Nietzsche and Ludwig Wittgenstein (I had read the tractatus with a guide and took courses in Nietzsche’s corpus in University). I thus realized the flaws behind metaphysics, the Principle of sufficient reason, the perspectival nature of truth, etc.

    Having thus freed myself from the Catholic faith, I engaged with many new thinkers and philosophies. Chiefly though, I was concerned about how one ought to live a pleasant, happy life and create new values and modes of living, as philosophy to me has always been a deeply lived experience, with their being far less utility in simply pontificating about reality as such (though that can be interesting also). This led me to an interest in Zen Buddhism, the works of Goethe (the idea of Bildung appealed heavily to me, as well as Faust's leitmotif of finding something valuable in the act of striving itself) and of course namely for this website, Epicurus.

    I had been exposed to Epicurus previously (I have always been interested in Greek philosophy) and have read Licretius’s On the Nature of Things. I was also interested in Epicurus because many of his scientific claims (for example his atomism) cohere so well with the findings of modern day science, and also because of his physiological honesty. Epicurus doesn't need to make recourse to a hidden world (or pretend that "nature itself" supports his perspective like the stoics do): he is a physiologist through and through, and approaches the question of happiness in a clinical way, much like Buddhism does (both free themselves of metaphysical justification to address how one ought to act in the here and now). And of course, one of my other favorite philosophers, Nietzsche, has a very high opinion of Epicurus (though not without his criticisms!). In one of the aphorisms in Human All to Human he introduced me to his ideas: the idea that there is a refinement in moral feeling when one liberates themselves from Gods and preconceptions about death, to create a feeling of serenity and peace to replace religious awe. He also mentions one of Epicirus’s critique of Plato (calling the Epicureans Dionysioklakes, literally meaning actor, which I also found apt).

    Having been introduced to Epicurus, re reading Lucretius and discovering some of Epicurus’s letters and reading more about his biography, I found a stunning temperamental similarity to myself. I myself loathe contemporary politics, the bickering and posturing that occurs from having to defend modern Yes’s and No’s (I totally understand why the Garden lay far from Athens’s center). The idea that what it takes to live a life of pleasure is a couple close friends, nature, good food and drink and philosophy, that appealed to me. And so I would like to learn more about Epicurean philosophy and connect with others who feel similarly!

    Thank you for reading. I know it was a long response, but I would like to sincerely engage with the members of this forum. Please let me know if there's anything you would want to chat about and please message me if you think we have any shared interests!

    Welcome aboard! Thank you for sharing your story. There are several forum members that have an interest in Nietzsche (as Cassius commented for himself).

    Following up on Cassius note about the location of the Garden in Athens:

Unread Threads

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    2. Immutability of Epicurean school in ancient times 11

      • TauPhi
      • July 29, 2025 at 2:14 PM
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    4. Eikadistes

      July 29, 2025 at 2:14 PM

    2. Recorded Statements of Metrodorus 11

      • Cassius
      • July 28, 2025 at 7:23 PM
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      11
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    4. Cassius

      July 28, 2025 at 7:23 PM

    2. Philodemus' "On Anger" - General - Texts and Resources 20

      • Cassius
      • July 8, 2025 at 7:33 AM
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      20
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      20

    4. Kalosyni

      July 8, 2025 at 7:33 AM

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