Posts by Thomas Karion

  • Welcome Thomas Karion!

    Hello,

    I have a question. I’m not sure if this is the right forum, or even if I’m in the right section of the forum. I hope you’ll forgive me if that’s the case.

    My question is this:

    What do you think Epicurus would write about today if he were alive in our time?

    I’ve calculated that Epicurus wrote mostly on physics, particularly in his work *On Nature* (37 books, according to Diogenes Laertius), and then about (or for) his many friends (especially in his numerous letters). He also wrote on ethics and on the Canon (if we separate it from physics, contrary to common practice, I believe). Finally, I don’t think he wrote much (if at all) on politics.

    “[Epicurus] wrote (…) some three hundred books, and he never quoted other authors—every word they contained was Epicurus’s own.” (Diogenes Laertius)

    Here is a rough summary of the books written by the Epicureans of Epicurus’s time:

    - On and for friends (22 books out of 93, or 25%): Chaeredemus / Neocles, dedicated to Themistus / Eurylochus, dedicated to Metrodorus / Aristobulus / Timocrates, in three books / Metrodorus, in five books / Antidorus, in two books / Callistolas / Anaximenes / Polymers / Hegesianax / Letters / Collections of Letters (H) / On the Disciples (H) / Exhortation to Study Philosophy / Principal Doctrines

    - On the Canon (5 books out of 93, or 6%): On the Criterion, or the Canon / On Sensory Perception / On Vision / On the Sense of Touch / On Images / On Sensations (M)

    - On Physics (39 books out of 93, or 44%): On Nature, in Thirty-Seven Books / On Atoms and the Void / On the Angle of the Atom / Summary of the Books for Physicists

    - On Ethics (19 books out of 93, or 22%): On the Ultimate Goal / Theories on Diseases [and Death], Dedicated to the Mithras / On the Gods / On Holiness / On Choices and Avoiding Evil / On Gifts and Gratitude / On the Course of Life, in Four Books / On Fair Treatment / Symposium / On Music / On Justice and the Other Virtues / On Fate / On Kingship / On Love / On the Passions, Against Timocrates / On Magnanimity (M) / On Epicurus’s Weak Constitution (M) / On the Path to Wisdom (M) / On Change (M) / On Wealth (M) / On Nobility (M)

    - Others (3 books out of 93, or 3%): Against the Megarians / Problems / Prognosis / Against the Physicians, three books (M) / Against Timocrates (M) / Against the Dialecticians (M) / Against the Sophists, 9 books (M) / Against Democritus (M) / On Empedocles, twenty-two books (H) / Against Plato (H) / Against Aristotle (H)

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    Furthermore, Maxime Capitale 11 states: “If doubts about celestial realities did not trouble us at all—nor those concerning death, which we fear may one day have something to do with us—or even the fact that we do not fully understand the limits of pain and desire, we would have no need to study nature. ”

    Physics (particularly concerning nature)

    If I were to attempt an approximate and unsatisfactory answer myself, I would begin by saying that, these days, most people seem to me to be less troubled by what he calls celestial realities (particularly the gods) and death. Because of this, I imagine that if Epicurus were to write books about nature today, it would be primarily to fully understand the limits of pain and desire (especially in the capitalist society of overconsumption in which we live). Furthermore, Epicurus would write about the Canon.

    Friends

    Furthermore, I think that if Epicurus were alive today, he would, of course, write a great deal about and for his friends.

    Ethics

    Regarding ethics, I think (if I were to revisit his ancient writings) that Epicurus would write about pleasure, of course, as well as about illness, choices and what to avoid, gifts and gratitude, life journeys, fair treatment, music, justice and other virtues, love, passions, wealth, and so on.

    Gemini

    I asked Gemini what it thought about this. It replied that, in light of our 21st century, Epicurus would focus his reflections on the following areas:

    - The tyranny of algorithms and the attention crisis (endless scrolling, the quest for validation through “likes,” etc.)

    - Overconsumption and capitalism

    - New forms of anxiety (eco-anxiety and AI)

    - Modern loneliness and the redefinition of friendship

    - Quantum physics and neuroscience

    That’s my modest contribution—and that of the AI. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this question:

    What do you think Epicurus would write about today if he were alive in our time?

    Thank you!