It is hard to overstate the importance of this observation on the Epicurean view of "truth," from the same source:
This is the greek phrase as has been said by Epicurus in his letter Herodotus : <<Τα υποτεταγμένα τοις φθόγγοις>> [pron. ta ypotetagmena tis fthogis].
First of all, Herodotus, we must grasp the concepts that are submitted to words. The word that Epicurus used is not “attached” actually, it is “submitted". And submission means you have already conquered something. And the most important is that when you have conquered in your life the pleasure and eudaemonia.
The concepts are the images that the brain from our childhood accumulates along with senses and feelings and these images are submitted to words. The brain works photographically, actually. The image of a word in our brain is as a whole and not separated into parts. When we say human our mind has already the General Picture of the human. And for giving definition to the words is unnecessary/redundant, because we will lead to funny situations.
Look how funny was the whole situation with the word "human" when Plato tried to give the definition of human as an animal, biped and featherless. Thus, Diogenes the Cynic plucked a rooster and brought it into the lecture-room of Plato’s academy saying : "Behold Plato's man !".
I imagine, in front of this scene, all Platos’ pupils to laugh out loud, and Plato to be angry and saying to them loudly:
- Why are you laughing you little roosters?
And a young epicurean responding to Plato :
- Because your methodology of dialectics is tragelafos [tragelafos is a situation for laughing and crying at the same time].
Thus, Plato angrily and loudly saying to that young epicurean :
- You are kicked out of my Academy !
And the young epicurean responding to Plato:
- At last, I'll breathe free the clean air, and I'm going to Epicurus' Garden to learn his methodology of the Canon, connected with Physics and Ethics. Indeed, my parents would be happy to not giving such a lot of money for your classes in your academy for the purpose to learn foolish things that do not bring me pleasure and eudaemonia.
You do imagine that that young epicurean provoked anarchy and revolution in the academy of Plato. HA
Since all Platos' pupils were singing also :
We don't need no education
We don't need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Hey! Teacher! Leave them kids alone!
All in all, it's just another brick in the wall
All in all, you're just another brick in the wall.