Posts by MarkJW

Thank you! I won't be able to make it due to the time difference but I hope it goes well.

Thank you all! It's great to see some familiar names from the Lucretius Today podcast, which was how I found out about the Epicurean Friends Forum.

I wanted to thank you for all your work on the podcast, and especially for Episode 291 (Epicurus Pushes Back Against 'Expect The Worst And You'll Never Be Disappointed'). As someone who has struggled with unhelpful rumination and worry, it was an enlightening experience to hear the podcast team discussing the views of ancient philosophers like the Cyrenaics who genuinely argued that rumination and worry are the key to the good life - and to hear the team take down those arguments so effectively with Epicurean philosophy (which so often feels like a breath of fresh air).

Since then, I can feel that my tendency to ruminate has lessened - as it feels less like something powerful that needs to be resisted, and more like a well-meaning but deeply mistaken debating partner whose arguments and underlying assumptions about life cannot be taken seriously. This is yet another example of how powerfully therapeutic Epicureanism and the study of philosophical debate can be.

Hello! I live in Britain, and I was drawn to Epicureanism by deep consideration about what it means to live a good life, which contributes deeply to the happiness of others and myself, and in a way that accepts the world for what it is - not an imagined ideal about it could or should be.

As well as these ethical considerations, I have a passion for both history and life sciences, and Epicurean philosophy leaves me awe-inspired in a way that no other philosophy has. This is thanks to the beautiful poetic treatises from Lucretius about the natural world and our place in it, and thanks to the general wonder I find from learning about Epicurus's ideas and seeing how applicable and wise they are thousands of years after they were written.

I'm grateful for Emily Austin's fantastic book, Living for Pleasure, which introduced me to Epicureanism in more depth, and I'm looking forward to reading and discussing this philosophy with new friends from around the world on the forum!