Gassendi On Virtue

    Note: This will be the thread to post about Gassendi's commentary on Epicurus from the "Virtue" section of his 1699 Three Discourses On Happiness - Virtue - Liberty.

    Some PDF page references:
    Virtue; 177
    Stoics; 184
    Epicurus on Following Nature; 209
    Lactantius' Objections To Epicurus; 211
    Epicurus on Natural Ties Between Men; 226
    Politics - Colotes; 230
    Epicurus - A mean soul becomes insolent in prosperity and dejected in adversity; 266
    Pain (seems to follow Epicurus); 283
    Epicurus on sobriety; 287
    Epicurus - Extraordinary anger turns a man into a fool; 301
    Epicurus on Justice; 317
    No justice with those who cannot undersand justice; 325
    Epicurus gives the strongest foundation of Justice; 330
    Epicurus on Reverencing God; 343
    Here Let us leave Epicurus; 346
    Cites Cicero on True Law As Right Reason; 348

    On page 347 under Virtue I see this paragraph which appears in the midst of a section on Epicurean views of friendship. but seems to deviate what i understand to be the standard understanding that Epicurus took the position that friends should NOT hold their property in common. Could be an example of Gassendi misinterpreting or misstating Epicurus but would need further review. Later in the page he mentions Aristotle so he could be mashing together Epicurus with Aristotle even though much of this section seems to be quoted from the Torquatus section of On Ends.


    On page 362 there is a discussion of Theophrastus taking the position that it is ok to lie for a friend because friendship is the higher priority. I'm not sure that I have seen where Epicurus commented on that kind of apparent conflict between Friendship and Virtue (honesty) but I suspect that the Stoics would be none to happy with Theophrastus and perhaps Aristotle over this (?)