Posts by SillyApe

So, what do we have here? An author talking about metaphysical speculations, Christian beliefs, and the so desired(and abstract) "meaning".

"Meaning" is a funny thing. As the author says, we should pursuit it instead of "happiness". The question is: why do humans chase meaning? In my view, it is because it helps us endure the pains of life. If we go through a terrible situation for no reason at all, it feels way worse than if there was a "meaning" behind it all. That means that "meaning" is just a tool for the increase of our pleasure and the decrease of our pain.

Another factor that contributes to the human desire for "meaning" is our difficulty in accepting our own insignificance. It has always been hard for us to understand that we're just some random creatures walking on this planet, born not for a reason, but only by chance. In a desperate attempt to change that, we try to give "meaning" to ourselves, which would be fulfilled either in this World or in a theoretical "Next World".

Though I understand where it comes from, I still think this is not a helpful tool. Just like any other supernatural or abstract concept, it can quickly degenerate into senseless goals built upon absolutely nothing. Pure rationalizations of the human mind. That's why I like the teachings of Epicureanism on how to cultivate a good life: they are tangible and "real", not based on some abstraction or transcendence. Sensations are here and now, being way more reliable than abstract concepts.

Happy 20th everyone! May this day(and all others) be filled with pleasures for us all!

This is the kind of thinking that first made me love Epicurean Philosophy. In the past, I was full of these vain desires and expectations, which brought me so much pain. One day, I read about Epicurus encouraging his followers to analyze their desires and do the calculation to see if they are worth it or not. Once I realized the futility of my pursuits and let these desires and expectations go, I felt so much light, as if I were a locked bird, now free to fly to the skies. Later on, I discovered the concept of "cognitive load", which explained through Psychiatry what Epicurus taught many centuries ago through Philosophy.

Cassius, I agree that we need to make clear that the Epicurean goal is pleasure, not some vague concept of tranquility/enlightenment. Every time someone searches for Epicureanism on the internet, they always end up being bombarded by someone telling them what Epicurus meant by "pleasure" was only "tranquility", which, for us who have gone a bit deeper into Epicurean studies, is clearly false(if it were true, Epicurus would have said that good and bad were decided by how much tranquility they bring and not by the sensory experience of pleasure/pain).

The big hurdle here is that, in a sense, Epicureanism "lost" a battle long ago. Christianity ruled the West for far too long. The way people see things is still inherently Christian, even if the religion itself is fading. Pleasure is still seen with a certain distrust. Even for those who don't necessarily hate pleasure, there's still the idea that you must balance pleasure with virtue as if they were opposites(while Epicurus made it clear that the virtues were a way to obtain pleasure). Perhaps that's why marketers were so successful in promoting Stoicism and Buddhism. In addition to their glamorization and foreignness which I mentioned earlier, these are still traditions that have a lot of alignment with Christian values. Stoics believed in an intelligence ruling the World(even if many "modern Stoics" don't like to think about it) and that the virtues were the end in themselves(going back to the Christian need of self-sacrifice and the need to improve oneself in order to resist temptation), while Buddhists preach about love, universal brotherhood, and offer the appeal of supernatural/transcendent forces(which many reject intellectually, but crave internally), all similar to Christian ideals.

I myself rejected Epicureanism the first time I discovered it. After leaving Christianity and studying everything from Stoicism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism, finding a school of Philosophy that was materialist and hedonistic at its core, free from all superstition, felt almost wrong, even if deep down, the Epicurean claims made more sense to me than all the other philosophies and traditions I mentioned combined. I guess that, after centuries of being told that we matter to a higher power(or that there's something greater beyond what we can see), it is hard for someone to accept that they are just silly apes, roaming a World that does not care about them, with no intrinsic purpose and with nothing existing after death.

In the end, though, I am glad I left the supposed empty tomb and went in the direction of the Garden.

We can spread Epicurean ideas through many methods: content creation, talking about it to our friends, teaching our children, etc.

On another note, sadly, I don't think Epicureanism is going to be as popular as Stoicism or Buddhism are nowadays, for the simple reason there's not much commercial appeal to it. Love it or hate it, Stoicism and Buddhism have only spread as much as they have because it's easy to glamorize them and to turn them into tools one can use to "succeed" in life(stuff like "use these Stoic lessons to get women to fall for you" or "mindfulness techniques to be more productive at work"). Epicureanism, on the other hand, in my opinion, is too "sane" to be glamorized into these kinds of products(which I hope to be the case, as I don't want Epicureanism to be disturbed and productized like the other traditions I mentioned were).

I agree. I don't think society is being rebuilt upon Epicurean pillars nor do I think that the influence of Christian thought will fade into obscurity(even if the supernatural beliefs become weaker). I think, however, that the framework through which people make decisions nowadays is becoming more hedonistic and less idealistic, which may facilitate the spread of Epicureanism(not that I think Epicureanism works for everyone. It works for me, but other people can find their own paths).

I think our society is slowly becoming more aligned with Epicureanism, even if most people have never heard about Epicurus. After centuries of religious domination over our culture, when most people were taught to pursue ideals of "purity" and "piety" and to focus on the afterlife, now more and more people have become materialists(in the physics sense) and have set themselves to pursue pleasure, as built in their nature.

Obviously, many people will struggle in their journeys, especially because many have been misguided by promises that pleasure can only be found in extreme consumerism or because they haven't been exposed to the wisdom of how to deal with life in a way that maximizes pleasure and minimizes pain.

Oh yeah, I had read this passage before on a Reddit post and I loved it. Epicureanism does have a tremendous power to help us free our life from unnecessary trouble.

I am a bit late for this, but, for me personally, it doesn't make much sense to risk one's life in such a way. Obviously, it is left to each person to do the pleasure/pain calculus in their own head and get to their own conclusions, but risking a lifetime of pleasures for one specific, pleasurable moment doesn't do it for me(even if the risk entails a lasting pleasure, such as good memories or self-confidence).

In my opinion, it is only worth risking one's life if your prospects for pleasure without the risk would be very low. For example, let's say you have a son and love him very much. If his life is in danger and you can sacrifice yourself to save him, it may be worth it, as I can't imagine a parent being able to find pleasure while knowing he/she could have saved their child, but didn't. Another example would be if you lived in a terrible dictatorship and had to choose between an oppressive existence under the dictator's government or risking your life to run away.

But, again, it is up to the individual. I myself would not join a Roman legion and go fight in a foreign land willingly, but some Epicureans of the past did that.

Yes! That's actually the reason behind my name. Remembering that we are just silly apes helps to bring me pleasure in my moments of anxiety.

"Oh humans, what a miracle of nature! Apes with delusions of grandeur!"

I am a bit late to the discussion, but I have to say I agree with Cassius: if you try to deviate from the indications given to us by nature(pleasure and pain), you may end up in endless speculations that bring nothing but more questions and no help to anyone.

I would also like to share something I heard from a philosophy professor once. He said that if you had to walk on a path that was surrounded by beautiful flowers, had soft ground, smelled good, and was filled with all other sorts of pleasure, you would not ask "Why am I walking on this path?", as just the pleasure of walking on it would justify your walk. Now, if the path was surrounded by rotting, dead animals and was covered by nails and broken glass, then you'd ask "Why am I walking on this path?", as you'd need to have a justification for the pain.

A pleasurable life doesn't need "meaning", as pleasure justifies itself.

Oh yeah, I found this forum by accident a few months ago. I have been studying Epicureanism for roughly a year now and was looking for some answers(I don't record exactly what I was looking for) and Google showed me a similar question made on this forum.

Well, I am not exactly sure what Epicurus would say, but, in general, I think it is wise to remember that nature is not ruled by an intelligent force(like claimed by the Stoics or some religions) and that it is not intrinsically "fair" or "unfair", but yes, it just is as it is. In the end, it is up to us to adjust our behavior according to how things present themselves, so we can maximize our pleasure and minimize our pain over the long term.

Hi everyone. I have been reading the forum for a while, but only now decided to create an account. Glad to be here.