Moderation in All Things Is Not Always the Prudent Course

Moderation in All Things Is Not Always the Prudent Course

By Kalosyni

When studying the philosophy of Epicurus, it is important to take note of a common yet incorrect way of understanding his ethics. If you do a Google search and type in “did Epicurus advocate moderation,” you will find websites that say things like this: one site states that “Epicurus endorsed the view that happiness is achieved by moderation,” and another puts it this way: “Like Epicurus, Aristotle believed in the virtue of moderation in all things.”

Errors such as these occur as part of a tendency to push the self-help aspect of Epicurus through catchy ideas that are simple to convey. But saying that Epicurus advocated for moderation is incorrect, and it leads to a misconception about what Epicurus actually taught. The idea of moderation is vague, and it does not touch on any of the detailed evaluation required for making the thoughtful choices that lead to the best long-term results.

Where “Moderation in All Things” Actually Comes From

The modern concept of moderation has its roots primarily in Aristotle’s Golden Mean. In the Nicomachean Ethics, Book Two, he argues that moral virtue lies between two extremes of excess and deficiency — courage, for example, is the mean between cowardice and recklessness.

As for the exact phrase “moderation in all things,” it was first found in English literature in the works of Samuel Croxall, an English writer and clergyman, in his book Fables of Aesop and Others, published in 1722.

For our current conception of moderation, we can also turn to the online Cambridge Dictionary, where it states: “Moderation is the quality of doing something within reasonable limits — you can eat whatever you want as long as it’s in moderation.” This presents moderation as a kind of self-restraint or self-discipline against excessive consumption, and it carries the idea that just having a little bit of something somehow makes it acceptable.

Why Moderation Is a Poor Guide to Living

Yet the conception of moderation within a given situation is itself dictated by social norms and opinions, which are often shifting and changing, and its recognition is often brought about by appearances of what is considered moderate in the eyes of others. It can become a kind of platitude or abstract virtue that is not based on an individual’s own perceptions of pain and pleasure, or on unique personal circumstances — and choices can go in the wrong direction when moderation itself is treated as the goal, or when actions are chosen according to a vague idea of moderation, leading to unwanted or unpleasant outcomes.

Moderation is highly subjective. What one person considers moderate might be excessive or insufficient for another, leading to poor decision-making or judgment. What is moderate in one situation might be extreme in another — moderate exercise for an athlete might be seen as excessive by someone completely sedentary. Underestimating harm can also occur: moderation in diet regarding sugar intake for someone who is pre-diabetic, or in substance use like alcohol or smoking, can still lead to health issues over time, because “moderate” consumption is still harmful.

So we can see that this vague attitude of “moderation in all things” is not a good way to make choices, given its potential to lead to bad outcomes. It also misses one of Epicurus’s most important concepts: that nature’s primary goal is to seek happiness and health through pleasure, along with the avoidance of long-term pain — which is most accurately achieved through the use of prudence.

Prudence, Not Moderation

Our current usage of the word “prudence,” according to the Cambridge Dictionary, is “behavior that is careful and avoids risks.” But we need to go back to its more ancient usage and meaning, as it was understood as practical wisdom, represented by the Greek word phronēsis — signifying the ability to make sound judgments and take appropriate actions based on knowledge, experience, and careful consideration of specific situations. Essentially: acting with foresight and reason in everyday life.

The philosophy of Epicurus gives guidance for making prudent choices, and we can find this throughout sources such as the Principal Doctrines, the Letter to Menoeceus, the Vatican Sayings, and Cicero’s On Ends, in the section where the Epicurean spokesman Torquatus speaks. Epicurus advocated for making prudent choices by using sound judgment in practical matters — and by following this, we can arrive at the best outcome for a pleasant and happy, well-lived life.

Phronēsis is the ancient Greek word for prudence, and we find it used in the Letter to Menoeceus:

Epicurus, Letter to Menoeceus

Of all this the beginning and the greatest good is prudence. Wherefore prudence is a more precious thing even than philosophy; for from prudence are sprung all the other virtues, and it teaches us that it is not possible to live pleasantly without living prudently and honorably and justly, nor again to live a life of prudence, honor, and justice without living pleasantly. For the virtues are by nature bound up with the pleasant life, and the pleasant life is inseparable from them.

We can also see how, in Cicero’s On Ends, the Epicurean spokesman Torquatus speaks about wisdom in similar terms:

Cicero, On Ends, Torquatus’s speech

Just as we regard with favor the physician’s skill not for his art’s sake merely, but because we prize sound health, and just as the pilot’s art is praised on utilitarian and not on artistic grounds, because it supplies the principles of good navigation, so wisdom, which we must hold to be the art of living, would be no object of desire if it were productive of no advantage; but it is in fact desired, because it is to us as an architect that plans and accomplishes pleasure.

A Second Common Misunderstanding: Avoiding All Pain

It is worth pointing out here that another common misunderstanding of the philosophy of Epicurus is the idea that we should seek to avoid all pain — that Epicurus advocated for the avoidance of all pain. This is not true, and it must be guarded against. We can see this addressed directly in the Letter to Menoeceus:

Epicurus, Letter to Menoeceus

And since pleasure is the first good and natural to us, for this very reason we do not choose every pleasure, but sometimes we pass over many pleasures when a greater discomfort ensues from them; and similarly we think many pains better than pleasures, since a greater pleasure comes to us when we have endured pains for a long time. Every pleasure then, because of its natural kinship to us, is good, yet not every pleasure is to be chosen; even as every pain also is an evil, yet not all are always of a nature to be avoided.

Also found in the texts is the guidance that pain is to be endured in certain circumstances — to experience a greater pleasure, or to avoid a greater pain, or for the sake of friendship, where one may even sometimes die for a friend, as referenced in Vatican Saying 57.

Practical Guidelines From the Texts

Here are some further guidelines that can be found in the teachings of Epicurus:

• Pursue desires that lead to pleasurable and pleasant results, and sharply reject those which are harmful. If a much worse pain will result, we avoid that action or choice.
• Keep in mind the body’s natural desires. These occur from natural bodily enjoyment and the natural urge to avoid pain. Fulfill these as much as you like, as long as doing so doesn’t result in bad consequences (Principal Doctrine 8, Vatican Saying 21): “We must not force nature but persuade her. We shall persuade her if we satisfy the necessary desires, and also those bodily desires that do not harm us, while sternly checking those that are harmful.”
• Fulfill your natural and necessary desires. If we do not get these fulfilled, it can lead to pain in the body or disturbance of the mind, because these are necessary for health, for the happiness of the soul, and to maintain life itself. We may at times need to engage in actions which cause pain in the short term in order to avoid much worse pain in the future.
• Identify your natural and unnecessary desires. These occur through natural attraction to bodily enjoyment, but if they are difficult to fulfill, we can choose not to pursue them — and we don’t need to feel badly about not having them, because not having them doesn’t result in pain in the body or bad health. These desires only fall into the “unnecessary” category when they are difficult to get and don’t cause pain when unfulfilled, or when pursuing them would cause a much worse pain to arise as a consequence (Principal Doctrine 26).
• Dismiss unnatural and unnecessary desires — desires for great wealth, power, or fame. These come about through empty opinions, and there is no end to these unquenchable desires (Vatican Saying 71): “Every desire must be confronted by this question: what will happen to me if the object of my desire is accomplished, and what if it is not?”

Three Points to Remember

1. Not choosing all pleasures and not avoiding all pain, but carefully choosing to pursue those desires which have the best long-term outcome.
2. Choose pleasure when it doesn’t result in pain or distress.
3. Endure what needs to be done, even if uncomfortable in the short term, in order to avoid a worse pain or to gain a greater pleasure, for the health of the body and the happiness of the soul.

Conclusion

Epicurus taught the use of prudence in making choices and avoidances. Prudence is the ability to use reason to think through and imagine what is involved in particular pleasures and pains, and to make predictions about what kind of outcomes will result. You need to decide what to pursue and what to forgo, and you need to decide what pains to endure and what pains to avoid. It is important not to be distracted by vain opinions regarding pleasures that are neither natural nor necessary, and to remember that nature readily provides the means for satisfying the desires that are most necessary for a healthy body and a sound mind.