Posts by Cassius

  • The Last Words of Charles Darwin

    I did not recognize that song Matt posted, but when I saw the title and the singers I immediately recognized the name Glenn Yarborough for THIS song below. I have always thought "Baby the rain must fall" was Epicurean-compatible as to the main them, seeking pleasure despite the pain that comes along the way. More of an anthem than the "nobody wants to die song" and maybe more helpful in troubled times. I guess the folk singers tended toward philosophical themes.


    Sorry for the partial divergence from the Charles Darwin / death theme, but he does say that he doesn't know and will live with whatever comes (heaven or hell, and he should have offered "none of the above" but it's hard to rhyme that).

  • The Garden Then -- and the Garden Now

    Quote from Kalosyni

    (Sometimes brainstorming ideas get a bit carried away, lol, but that is how the best ideas happen, when you just let the creativity flow).

    Yes exactly. It's too bad the Aristotelians trademarked the term "peripatetics" because a "walking group" might well fit the bill as a free and healthful activity that could be engaged in as a group and still combine philosophy. Maybe something like meeting at an appointed time at a park, then having a brief talk, then walking together.

    (I am afraid my age is showing that "walking" sounds like more fun and more practical than a nudist colony ;)

  • The Garden Then -- and the Garden Now

    Quote from Godfrey

    This would also work with a cafe and similar establishments.

    Yes I agree that there are many options that could be made to work. I joke in mentioning "nudist colony" or something like that, but the real formula would likely be something entertaining that doesn't cost a lot of money to engage in but can still blend physical with mental pleasures. Not that "nudist colony" is a good example, but depending on the geography of the location there are probably lots of variations on group activities that can be conducted without investing a lot of money.

  • The Garden Then -- and the Garden Now

    And that is an interesting quote from both Disken Clay and Seneca:

    Quote
    Quote Epicurus' Garden was not a school. Seneca had it right when he commented: 'it was not the school of Epicurus that made Metrodorus, Hermarchus and Polyaenus great men but their shared life'.

    I don't think anyone seriously doubts that a "school" was a major component of what Epicurus was doing. Even so, the statement that "it was not the "school" of Epicurus (which I would interpret as "the book learning") that made those men great" is probably true figuratively, f not exactly literally.

    I've read several of Diskin Clay's articles and found that he was a great writer but given to colorful wording. I remember one thing that has always stuck with me about him. I would never have suspected that his Article "Epicurus' Last Will and Testament" regardless of the title, is largely devoted to a discussion of Epicurus' elemental physics. Much more than being focused on the will itself, it contains a detailed treatment of what much have been included in the book on the "Twelve Fundamentals." After I finally found that, almost by accident, I stopped putting too much stock in the titles that Clay chose for his writing. Apparently the double (or multiple) meanings of the title was a play on Epicurus' physics being his true "last will and testament."

  • The Garden Then -- and the Garden Now

    In addition to that we need a section on

    The Garden As Prep School

    Today we go through phases in life in which we go locally to school, and then go away to college (in some cases), all with the knowledge and intent that we are preparing for life in the larger world.

    We form and take with us many friendships with fellow students and teachers, and many of those last the rest of our lives. But we never should lose sight that the schooling is a preparatory phase that will not last forever, and that our reason for being their is to learn how to stand on our own feet and form our own families and stable communities.

    The professors and the staff of the "College" do have a longer-lasting relationship that turns out to be weekly or daily and is open ended as to time, and some of the students will even be incorporated into the College staff and instructors.

    But everyone keeps a clear eye on the goal that for most this is a preparatory phase, abs that the goal of happy living for the community requires that its mission be understood and respected, so that each fulfills his or her appropriate role.

    Just like in AFDiA the character of Hedeia had ti be saved from the storm, it's not in the nature of life that every individual can live and act as if there are no outside threats to their continued happiness.

    It may or may not take a village to raise a child, but it takes a community to support the individual in a world where there are many organized opponents who are not interested in our happiness, and who in fact see it as a threat.

    The Garden as a Refuge complements and supports the role of the Garden as a School, and there are other roles that are necessary as well. But none of these roles stand alone, and if we focus on one aspect exclusively we are like Polyaenus spending all his time on his diagrams while the rest of life passes him by and smashes those diagrams.

  • Welcome DailyEpicurus!

    Welcome DailyEpicurus ! Please 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 accounts will be deleted. All that is required is a "Hello!" but of course we hope you will introduce yourselves further and join one or more of our conversations.

    This 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.

    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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  • Reactions To "Hedeia" - Chapter Twelve of AFDIA

    I wanted to start a special thread in anticipation of our Book Review Discussion of Chapter 12 of AFDIA to focus on the character and personality of "Hedeia."

    I don't think we have talked too much previously about this character here on the forum, and I am not sure that she exists outside of this fictional world of Frances Wright.

    However I have always found the portrayal of her character to be difficult to size up, and I would be interested in impressions of what she represents, and what Frances Wright is portraying in presenting her in this way.

    Some of the basic attributes she is displaying is disdain for philosophic intellectualizing in general, and she is very headstrong and aggressive and willing to trade on her wittiness and physical beauty in a way that I think many would describe as off-putting.

    Yet while Wright has several of the characters express warnings about her, I don't believe she has Epicurus or anyone else condemn her outright, and it is almost as if she represents an assertion of "If you're lucky enough to have the world on a string, don't be ashamed to spin it around for fun."

    In typing this I wonder (probably for the first time) if this aspect of her character is intended to display a version of the position taken by Epicurus in PD10.

    At any rate I think there are many interesting aspects of this character that we don't often find reason to talk about, so I wanted to point this out to memorialize it.


    Chapter Twelve - A Few Days In Athens

  • AFDIA Zoom Book Club Meeting. Final Session - Recap and Discussion of Article "Problems In Frances Wright's AFDIA" (Sun, May 22nd 2022, 8:00 am-8:00 pm)

    Cassius started a new event:

    Event

    AFDIA Zoom Book Club Meeting. Final Session - Recap and Discussion of Article "Problems In Frances Wright's AFDIA"

    "A Few Days In Athens" Zoom Book Club Meeting. Final Session

    This week we will go through final reactions to the book in general and to Frances Wright.

    We will also discuss the article at EpicureanFriends entitled: Problems in Frances Wright's "A Few Days in Athens"


    Important Links:

    Link to PDF of the original book at Archive.org.

    AFDIA Website with the entire book: http://www.afewdaysinathens.com

    RECURRING ZOOM LINK - USE THIS EACH SESSION:



    Topic: A Few Days In Athens - Zoom Book Review 2022

    Time:…
    Sun, May 22nd 2022, 8:00 am – 8:00 pm
    Cassius
    April 23, 2022 at 1:20 PM

  • "A Few Days In Athens" Zoom Book Club Meeting. This week - Chapter Sixteen! (Sun, May 15th 2022, 8:00 pm-9:00 pm)

    Cassius started a new event:

    Event

    "A Few Days In Athens" Zoom Book Club Meeting. This week - Chapter Sixteen!

    "A Few Days In Athens" Zoom Book Club Meeting. This week - Chapter Sixteen!

    This is the last chapter and contains the full-frontal attack on religion. Topics include:

    Chapter 16 – Epicurus Addresses an Assembly on the Evils of Religion

    1. Epicurus tells the crowd he will address the place of man in the universe.
    2. In this inquiry we must dismiss presumption and fear.
    3. The elements of the universe are evidently eternal and unchangeable, and that these elements make up all things and give them their
    …
    Sun, May 15th 2022, 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm
    Cassius
    April 23, 2022 at 1:18 PM

  • AFDIA Zoom Book Club Meeting. This week - Chapter Fifteen! (Sun, May 8th 2022, 8:00 pm-9:00 pm)

    Cassius started a new event:

    Event

    AFDIA Zoom Book Club Meeting. This week - Chapter Fifteen!

    "A Few Days In Athens" Zoom Book Club Meeting. This week - Chapter Fifteen!

    This is a deep one! Topics include:

    Chapter 15 Summary – Theon Discusses Materialism With Metrodorus and Leontium

    1. Metrodorus accuses Aristotle of pedantry.
    2. Metrodorus says that it is error to mistake mystery for wisdom, pedantry for knowledge, and prejudice for virtue.
    3. Metrodorus discusses cause and effect and that there is a limit to how far back we can go.
    4. Leontium explains how rationalism is error, and that we must
    …
    Sun, May 8th 2022, 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm
    Cassius
    April 23, 2022 at 1:16 PM

  • AFDIA Zoom Book Club Meeting. This week - Chapters Thirteen and Fourteen! (Sun, May 1st 2022, 8:00 pm-9:00 pm)

    Cassius started a new event:

    Event

    AFDIA Zoom Book Club Meeting. This week - Chapters Thirteen and Fourteen!

    "A Few Days In Athens" Zoom Book Club Meeting. This week - Chapters Thirteen and Fourteen!

    (Thirteen is a very short chapter so we will combine it with Fourteen)

    The main issue for discussion is that of the Epicurean Gods , and we also need to discuss how Frances Wright has Epicurus state a position that is probably at deviance from the texts.

    Note: The use of video is strictly optional. We welcome any of our friends who choose to use audio only.



    Important Links:

    Link to PDF of the original book at…
    Sun, May 1st 2022, 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm
    Cassius
    April 23, 2022 at 1:14 PM

  • AFDIA Zoom Book Club Meeting. This week - Chapter Twelve! (Sun, Apr 24th 2022, 8:00 pm-9:00 pm)

    Cassius started a new event:

    Event

    AFDIA Zoom Book Club Meeting. This week - Chapter Twelve!

    "A Few Days In Athens" Zoom Book Club Meeting. This week - Chapter Twelve!



    The rough agenda for our one hour session ( subject to change if we have visitors to introduce) is:

    1 - Brief introduction of everyone on the call. (We will go around the zoom list and ask everyone to say their first names (real or otherwise) and tell us about their background and interest in Epicurus. For example: "My name is Joshua, I am from (country), and I have been interested in Epicurus ever since _______________. I…
    Sun, Apr 24th 2022, 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm
    Cassius
    April 23, 2022 at 1:11 PM

  • Episode One Hundred Eighteen - Letter to Herodotus 07 - "Images" - There's More To Them Than Meets The Eye

    Quote from Don

    If I remember correctly, somewhere else I remember something about if we think about something repeatedly, that makes our minds receptive to those images.

    I also have to think that the Epicureans considered this when employing busts and rings and other images of Epicurus.

    In fact it probably makes sense when we think about comparing "techniques" with Stoics and others that an Epicurean would pursue what is effectively "tuning the mind" by surrounding ourselves with images (artwork) of things that we find pleasing and/or motivational to us.

    It's probably no coincidence that Epicurus said he found his greatest happiness in studying nature - he we surrounding himself with thoughts and observations about the way nature works.

    That might be something to think about when considering the impact of modern television over the last 75 years broadcasting images into almost every home of a very different kind.

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