Eudaimonia and Makariotēs in the Letter to Menoeceus
Blog article by Kalosyni - The following is based on material developed for the Epicurean Ethics study group
1.1 Eudaimonia (εὐδαιμονία): Happiness and Well-being
Among the surviving writings of Epicurus, the Letter to Menoeceus provides a summary of his ethical philosophy. At the heart of the letter stands the Greek word eudaimonia (εὐδαιμονία), commonly translated as "happiness," "well-being," or "human flourishing." The Greek term eudaimonia literally combines eu ("good" or "well") and daimōn ("spirit" or "guiding power"), though its philosophical meaning is determined by usage rather than etymology.
For Epicurus, happiness is not a temporary feeling of pleasure or excitement but a stable condition of living well. In Epicurean thought, it refers to a life that is complete, satisfying, and free from mental suffering. It is not merely an emotion but an enduring state of flourishing.
Epicurus opens the letter by encouraging people of every age to pursue philosophy because philosophy is the path to happiness:
"We must then meditate on the things that make our happiness, seeing that when that is with us we have all, but when it is absent we do all to win it."
This statement establishes eudaimonia as the ultimate goal of human life and philosophy serves as a method for achieving it. Through philosophy individuals learn to overcome fear of the gods and death, understand their desires and the limits of desire, and make choices that lead to a life of happiness and well-being.
Epicurus teaches that happiness is available to anyone who learns to live wisely. Neither youth nor old age is a barrier. Through philosophical reflection, a person can free themselves from anxiety about death, fear of divine punishment, and the endless pursuit of unnecessary desires. Happiness is therefore practical and attainable.
1.2 Makariotēs (μακαριότης): Blessedness and Divine Perfection
While eudaimonia describes human flourishing, Epicurus also employs the use of language based on the root word makarios (μακάριος), meaning "blessed," "blissful," or "supremely fortunate." The related form which is used in the Letter to Menoeceus is makariotēs (μακαριότης) -- pronounced mak-ar-ee'-ot-ace, meaning "blessedness." In Epicurean texts these terms are most often applied to the gods and to the highest ideal of existence.
In ancient Greek culture, the gods were frequently described as makarioi ("the blessed ones"). They were considered immortal, self-sufficient, and untouched by the struggles that define human life. Because they were free from fear, labor, suffering, and death, they existed in a state of complete fulfillment.
In the Letter to Menoeceus, Epicurus insists that nothing should be attributed to the gods that is inconsistent with their immortality or blessedness.
Epicurus adopts this understanding of the nature of the gods and then gives it a philosophical interpretation useful for the development of human well-being. The gods are blessed and immortal because they live in perfect tranquility and are not troubled by human affairs. Consequently, humans should not fear divine wrath or intervention.
This idea also appears clearly in Principal Doctrine 1: "The blessed and imperishable nature neither has trouble itself nor causes trouble to anyone else."
The word makariotēs also suggests further ideas such as freedom from mortal concerns, an unchanging serenity and joy, self-sufficiency and independence, immunity from suffering and death, and a state beyond ordinary human experience.
2.1 Comparing Eudaimonia and Makariotēs
Although both terms are associated with the ultimate good life, they are not identical.
| Eudaimonia (εὐδαιμονία) | Makariotēs (μακαριότης) |
| Usually translated as happiness, well-being, or flourishing. | Usually translated as blessedness, bliss, or supreme fulfillment. |
| Primarily describes the goal of human life. | Primarily describes the condition of the gods and the highest ideal. |
| Achieved through wise living, friendship, prudence, and freedom from fear. | Characterized by complete self-sufficiency and undisturbed tranquility. |
| A stable life with many more pleasures than pains. | A perfected state beyond vulnerability, disturbance, and pain. |
| Humanly attainable. | Fully exemplified by the gods, though humans may approximate it. |
| Focuses on living well. | Focuses on complete blessedness. |
A helpful way to understand the distinction is to view eudaimonia as the human experience of flourishing and makariotēs as the highest expression of that flourishing.
• Happiness (eudaimonia) answers the question: What does it mean for a human being to live well?
• Blessedness (makariotēs) answers the question: What does perfect and undisturbed fulfillment look like?
For Epicurus, a wise person who lives free from fear, cultivates friendship, and enjoys prudent pleasures, thereby attains eudaimonia. Yet when such a life becomes deeply tranquil, self-sufficient, and completely blessed, it approaches the condition described by makariotēs. In this sense, blessedness is not a different goal from happiness but the fullest realization of it.
This explains Epicurus' famous conclusion that the philosopher may live "like a god among men”, which we see written in the closing paragraph of the Letter to Menoecues. The wise individual remains mortal, but through wisdom and tranquility participates in a manner of life resembling divine blessedness – living not merely happily, but blessedly.