Here is a draft synthesis of what you will find in much greater detail in the references listed above:
Welcome Thomas Karion!
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Thanks, Cassius. I’ve found the answer to my question. If I don’t feel pleasure, it’s indeed because I’m experiencing suffering, however slight it may be. I don’t have any other questions for now, but I won’t hesitate to post here as soon as I do. I think that’s actually one of the key points of Epicurus’s philosophy. Many people think they’re in a neutral state when in fact they’re experiencing suffering without realizing it, however slight it may be. But that’s another topic we may have the chance to discuss. In any case, I’ve found the answer to my question, and I thank you for your comment 🙂
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Here is a draft synthesis of what you will find in much greater detail in the references listed above:
https://www.epicureanfriends.com/wcf/faq-questi…as-of-10-29-26/
Thanks, Cassius, for the FAQ. I'm going to play tennis, but I can't wait to read it as soon as I get back!
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If I don’t feel pleasure, it’s indeed because I’m experiencing suffering, however slight it may be.
I think that's true. Whether this is clear to people will probably depend on how they view the meaning of "pleasure," and someone new to the philosophy not realize that there is a question as to the meaning of the word.
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If I don’t feel pleasure, it’s indeed because I’m experiencing suffering, however slight it may be.
It's important to be clear about what you mean by "suffering". It could be referring to physical pain or to mental pain.
For physical pain we see that there is this Principal Doctrine:
PD04 - "Continuous pain does not last long in the flesh; on the contrary, pain, if extreme, is present a very short time, and even that degree of pain which barely outweighs pleasure in the flesh does not last for many days together. Illnesses of long duration even permit of an excess of pleasure over pain in the flesh." (Hicks translation)
For mental pain, PD01 and PD02 deal with fear of the gods and fear of death. Then various other PD's deal with other issues, such as fear of natural phenomena (PD12), and other issues, etc. It could make an interesting list to see which PD's help with which mental pains.
A person can feel both pleasure and pain at the same time. But to arrive at a state of unalloyed pleasure requires removing the mental pains caused by the incorrect understanding of things.
