Posts by michelepinto

Welcome Daniel.

Quote from Oscar

Welcome Daniel. Have you read Harvard Professor Stephen Greenblatt's The Swerve: How the world became modern ?

I love that book!

Cassius, I definitively love you!

I have a questions. Since not all the people are the same in their relationship with pleasure, may be Epicurus teaching are good for some kind of people and are not good for a different kind of people?

First of all: I have always wanted to make these speeches, to bring the philosophy of Epicurus into practice. I'm happy to be here!

Second: unfortunately the language gap is felt and even with Google's help I don't always understand everything.

Then my point is that we can be happy with little, it is not necessary to add other (expensive) pleasures to be happy.

Finally: Cassius, thank you for your valuable considerations.

I have a three year old boy, when I give him a toy he is happy. My wife and I like to see him happy, so we give him lots of toys. The result: the toys pile up and shortly afterwards they no longer give him any pleasure.

Here is a simple example of why adding pleasure to pleasures is useless, it's definitely better to look for serenity. No boredom like no pain. In the case of my child, play with him, even without any toys.

No this is correct. The thesis of Bignone is that Epicurus knows some of Aristotele's work. And most scholarsbelieve that.
As I said I did not read it.

Quote from Clive

I am retired and I live in Norwich, England. I do quite a lot of reading in connection with my various interests. I don't know what else to say, really. What else would you like to know about me?

We are not so far! At last still in Europe.

Quote from Cassius

Here is a comment about scholarship in England made by DeWitt in the intro to his book - I wish I could read Italian - maybe michelepinto could tell me if he has read Bignone and likes him!

I did not read this, still.. is very big.
I read the translation of Epicurus's writing in Italian by Ettore Bignone. They are good but too old. It is difficult to understend them now if you do not know already Epicurus.

The event will be all in Greek? Or something is in English?
Is not too far from my home, but I do not speak Greek at all...

Thanks for your great job!

Yes, you are right, privacy is important. We can do something like "group in build" for people that would like to create a group in their city or state.

If anyone will like some epicurean friend in Italy... Please contact me!

Why report only groups? Could we not also mention individuals?

Sent!
I was christian. And I started writing this story to put in evidence what was similar in Epicureanism a Cristianity. Just writing this I changed my mind. And the difference became more and more evident every page. So I made my choice.
I really hope you enjoy.

We agree completely.
Recently I listened an "imaginary interview" with Epicurus on Italian Radio (

). The actor who was interpreting Epicurus said that all the misunderstanding about his hedonism was good because it had attracted a lot of people to his doctrine.

(I know my English is horrible.. forgive me!)

No, I did not published this yet. I can send you via mail.

I'm trying to setup an Epicurean Festival in Italy.
I have a lot of epicurean friends in Italian, but we are not a group. We are working on it.

In 2030 will be 2300 years since Epicurus established his Garden in Athens. Are we planing something special for this? A Wordwide meeing of all the Epicureans for exemple?
I think it will be great!

Quote from Cassius

How depressing to read answers like this:

I do not understand: why depressing? Is like what Epicurus said in Menoeceus letter:
"Again, we regard independence of outward things as a great good, not so as in all cases to use little, but so as to be contented with little if we have not much, being honestly persuaded that they have the sweetest enjoyment of luxury who stand least in need of it, and that whatever is natural is easily procured and only the vain and worthless hard to win. Plain fare gives as much pleasure as a costly diet, when once the pain of want has been removed, while bread and water confer the highest possible pleasure when they are brought to hungry lips."

Of course the Epicurs lifestyle is not ascetic. Ascetism in not the goal of Epicurus, and - more important - Epicurus is not dogmatic about that. But there is a lot of similar.

I wrote a fiction story about that moment when St Poul met epicurean philosophers. I'll love to let you read it, but it is in Italian.