Important Post From Elli: The Breakdown Of Our Modern Societies!
Episode Eleven of Lucretius Today is Now Online -- Another That I Consider To Be One Of Our Best: Episode Eleven - The Lucretius Today Podcast. This is one of our best, so if you've not listened in the past, or would like to send a sample episode to a friend, consider this one!
Just taking a moment to single out Eugenios to thank him for his many recent great posts discussing details of Epicurean thought. Posts like that are what the forum are all about, and we encourage everyone to look through the forum structure and start conversations on any of the topics you find interesting. There's no better way to improve our own understanding and help others with theirs than to post your questions or thoughts about what something means. If you have extra free time during the Covid situation, please don't hesitate to post.
If anyone in the group contracts Covid19 themselves, please use this thread to keep us posted and let us know how you are doing. If you are taking precautions that might be of interest, let us know that too!:Coronavirus - Epicurean World Report!
FAQ Addition and Discussion: Would An Epicurean Hook Himself Up To An "Experience Machine" or a "Pleasure Machine" If Possible?
Episode Ten of the Lucretius Today Podcast Is Now Available: Episode Ten - The Lucretius Today Podcast
Worth Reading: New Article On Covid-19 And Lucretius By Stephen Greenblatt: On Covid19 And Ruthlessly Taking The Measure Of Our Values (New York Times Article)
Everyone stay safe and act prudently during the Covid19 affair!
As per recent announcements, today (3/13/20) further automatic posting requirements are being put into effect to implement the forum policy that "All are welcome to read and ask questions, but only firm friends of Epicurean Philosophy in accord with our Not Neo-Epicurean, But Epicurean statement and our Posting Policy statement are granted full posting privileges, so here you will find a truly supportive community of Epicurean Friends." If you run into any issues because of this please email me at Cassius@Epicureanfriends.com
Episode Nine of the Lucretius Today Podcast Is Now Available: Episode Nine - The Lucretius Today Podcast
Please join me in extending a special warm welcome to the forum of the daughter of Amrinder Singh - our departed friend who left us three years ago as of March 10! In Memory of Amrinder Singh
Episode Eight of the Lucretius Today Podcast Is Now Available: Episode Eight - The Lucretius Podcast
Very Interesting article, supportive of the sincerity of ancient Epicureans In their attitude toward worship and prayer. I definitely recommend this one. Thanks Godfrey! epicureanfriends.com/wcf/filebase/index.php?file/26/
Welcome to recent new members! Let us know how we can help! Please introduce yourselves and feel free to start new threads on any topic of interest.
Episode Seven of the Lucretius Today Podcast Is Now Available: Episode Seven - The Lucretius Today Podcast
New subforum: Daily Interactions With The Non-Epicurean World
Nice new blog post from Mike, with comments: "How To Remove Your Fears And Worries" Mike Anyayahan's Blog: Epicureanmindset.blogspot.com
Episode Six of the Lucretius Today Podcast is Now Available: Episode Six - The Lucretius Today Podcast
Today we implemented a post approval requirement that will apply in some situations and hopefully help reduce issues with spam and other problems. If you have any issues as a result of the change please message me using the "conversations" tool.
Welcome to our Online Community of Epicureans, where we study Epicurus, apply Epicurean philosophy to our own lives, and"strike a blow for Epicurus, that great man whose holiness and divinity of nature were not shams, who alone had and imparted true insight into the good, and who brought deliverance to all that consorted with him." All are welcome to read and ask questions, but only firm friends of Epicurean Philosophy in accord with our Not Neo-Epicurean, But Epicurean statement and our Posting Policy statement are granted full posting privileges, so here you will find a truly supportive community of Epicurean Friends.
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Not Neo-Epicurean, But Epicurean
After 2000 Years Still The Three Main Contenders For Your Mind
Autun mosaic from The House of the Greek Authors, Musée Rolin
On Living Unknown While Locating Your School In A High Traffic Area
Epicurus Greece Stamp 2019
Death Is Nothing To Us
Plato's Metaphysical Contradiction
Epicurus Skipping Mysticism
Plato's Distracted Boyfriend
Concepts As Black As Hell
PD9 - Just As All Colors Are Colorful
Agostino Scilla
From Diogenes Laertius, Book 10 (The Biography of Epicurus), we read something that may lead us again to revisit the matter of the apparent chronic ill health of Epicurus, and how the great philosopher confronted and dealt with serious bodily health issues.
Here is the excerpt by Diogenes Laertius: “Timocrates, the brother of Metrodorus, in his treatise entitled the Merry Guests, and this Timocrates had been a disciple in his school, though he afterwards abandoned it; and he says that he
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The following is a short summary of principles which are important for understanding Epicurus and participating in discussion at the Epicurean Philosophy Facebook Group. It is not intended to address all aspects of Epicurean philosophy. As time allows we will supplement the citations below with more citations and explanatory articles.
1. Not “flourishing,” “human potential,” “self-actualization,” or “meaningfulness,” but happiness grounded in the feeling of pleasure.
2. Not
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Not "absence of pain" as a full statement of the goal of life, but “the Feelings are two, pleasure and pain” and “Pleasure is the beginning and the end of a happy life.”
Brief: The feelings are only two, pleasure and pain—there is no third state such as neutral, and there are no “fancy pleasures” which are different from regular pleasures. Because there is no neutral, reducing pain in life is only possible if there is a corresponding increase in pleasure. The extent
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We often confuse the issue of the possibility of free will exercising with the issue of its existence. When we are unable to exercise it we say with sloppiness that it does not exist. This "I want but I can’t or I don’t want but I am forced" puts into testing our individual self-esteem. But any coercion and enforcement exists precisely because there is free will and some of the people have the power to exercise it, usually at the expense of the others.
We have extreme
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This chart is a work in progress! It is currently hosted at a Google Docs page to make editing easier. Feel free to make comments and suggestions in the Forum thread associated with this article. Click on this link to go to the chart: Reference: Comparison Chart of Epicurean and Stoic Views
“It is observed too that in his treatise On the Ethical End he writes in these terms : “I know not how to conceive the good, apart from the pleasures of taste, of sex, of sound, and the pleasures of beautiful form.”
– Diogenes Laertius, Book X
There are many challenges in interpreting Epicurean philosophy relate to the proper interpretation of Epicurus’ view of pleasure as the goal of life. When Epicureans used the term “pleasure,” did they mean “pleasure” as ordinary
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This is the place to study and discuss Epicurus with people who - can you believe it? - aren't just Stoics in disguise, but who actually support and promote Epicurean philosophy. On your first visit, check out this full home page, including the Not Neo-Epicurean, But Epicurean and our Posting Policy statements. Look around the Forums arranged by Topic. A good place to sample the latest conversations is by clicking Latest Threads, or simply start with our General Forum. After that, bookmark the Dashboard, so that when you come back you'll see all the latest postings and announcements. Other key links are the FAQ where we have answers to often-asked questions, and our Wiki, which features one of the best collections of Lucretius and other Epicurean texts that you'll find anywhere. Don't miss the forum devoted to reviews of modern books, articles, and video-multimedia devoted to Epicurus. Do you prefer a page theme that is lighter, darker, or a different color? Go to the bottom right and click "Change Style!" Thanks for dropping by and enjoy your stay - here our highest goal is Pleasure!
Also, we are continuing our on-line group discussions of Norman DeWitt's Epicurus and His Philosophy. Please check the announcements at the top of this page for confirmation of the time and date of the next session. Discussion outlines are posted here.
Please note our other ongoing projects: For our latest translations and research into the Doctrines, Sayings, and Letters of Epicurus, check our wiki.
There is also a great need for an authoritative online free edition of Lucretius' On The Nature of Things. At our Wiki page, we have two public domain versions (Munro and Bailey) and we are currently working on adding the 1743 Daniel Browne edition, which has the Latin text on the facing page of the original. In order to allow the reader to crosscheck the English translation, we are cross-referencing each translation the equivalent passage in the Latin text. If you have time to help in either of these projects, please let us know by posting in the appropriate forum thread. Our latest project is www.EpicureanRadio.com, a streaming service that we hope to expand into a full "Epicurean Radio Station." Check it out in the new subforum devoted to it!
If you have come across Epicurean philosophy in the past but been confused by commentators who assert - incorrectly - that Epicurus advocated an ascetic or passive lifestyle, you'll want to check out our table of Major Issues In Understanding Epicurean Philosophy. We're glad to help with your study of Epicurus - just ask in the forums! In the meantime, here is the advice of Thomas Jefferson on living an active Epicurean life:
"I take the liberty of observing that you are not a true disciple of our master Epicurus in indulging the indolence to which you say you are yielding. One of his canons, you know, was that “that indulgence which prevents a greater pleasure, or produces a greater pain, is to be avoided.” Your love of repose will lead, in its progress, to a suspension of healthy exercise, a relaxation of mind, an indifference to everything around you, and finally to a debility of body, and hebetude of mind, the farthest of all things from the happiness which the well-regulated indulgences of Epicurus ensure; fortitude, you know is one of his four cardinal virtues. That teaches us to meet and surmount difficulties; not to fly from them, like cowards; and to fly, too, in vain, for they will meet and arrest us at every turn of our road. Weigh this matter well; brace yourself up." - Thomas Jefferson to William Short, October 31, 1819.
A Feature of Our Forum - Follow The Advice Of Epicurus: Outline Your Understanding Of Philosophy
Epicurus' Letter to Herodotus: "Those who have made some advance in the survey of the entire system ought to fix in their minds under the principal headings an elementary outline of the whole treatment of the subject. For a comprehensive view is often required, the details but seldom. ... For it is impossible to gather up the results of continuous diligent study of the entirety of things unless we can embrace in short formulas and hold in mind all that might have been accurately expressed even to the minutest detail."
We hope you will consider signing up for an account so you can participate fully here at the forum. For a brief introduction to the orientation of this website, please review our Community Standards / Terms of Use , and check out our brief video Major Characteristics of Epicurean Philosophy.
A Note On Why This Website Is Not "Stoic In Disguise" -
Many people who come here have been influenced by the alleged importance of a distinction between "kinetic" and "katastematic" pleasure. This argument is unsound, probably not of Epicurean origin at all, and can be very damaging to a proper understanding of Epicurus. To research this issue, start with Boris Nikolsky's "Epicurus on Pleasure," which argues that the katastematic issue was not introduced by Epicurus and reflects a later Stoic-influenced viewpoint. Next, read the chapters on Epicurus in Gosling and Taylor's "The Greeks on Pleasure," from which Nikolsky got the inspiration for his article. The whole section on Epicurus is good, but be sure to read their Chapter 19 "Katastematic and Kinetic Pleasure." Add to that the Wentham article "Cicero's Interpretation of Katastematic Pleasure," which highlights how emphasis on katastematic pleasure contradicts other core aspects of Epicurean philosophy.
Those shorter articles should then take you back to the best general book on Epicurus, Norman DeWitt's "Epicurus and His Philosophy." DeWitt provides a sweeping overview of Epicurus which hardly mentions the katastematic - kinetic distinction except to point out how - even if one considers the categories relevant - Epicurean philosophy embraces both types. If you don't read anything else at this website, check out the articles listed above, and you'll see how important this issue is to a proper understanding of Epicurean philosophy. And if you are brand new to the study of Epicurus, be sure to start your study with DeWitt's "Epicurus and His Philsosophy."
