Several conversations lately have led me to want to produce a new article on what I would contend are some of the most important take-aways from the teachings of Epicurus. These are the points with which I would start if I were talking about Epicurus today with someone new. I prepared this for…

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Friends, recent discussions have prompted me to finally get around to clarifying my own take on Epicurean Philosophy, which I have named "Hedonic Pragmatics"-- a new philosophy that is still closely connected to Epicurean Philosophy. I think what I've said would be fully supported by Epicurus, but…

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Below is the Wikipedia introduction to Epicurus as of 02/06/20. I will highlight in red, and add a footnote to each statement which I contend is in serious need of correction or amplification.

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[1] Calling Epicurus a "sage" adds nothing, but injects confusion, suggesting that this term…

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Haris Dimitriadis is author of “The Pleasant Life – The Philosophy of Epicurus.” Born in Greece, Haris studied Mathematics at the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki as well as Economics at the London School of Economics. His career spanned the business and banking industries and

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As much as Epicurus advised against devoting life to politics, it appears that the politicians cannot return the favor and leave Epicurus alone. On both left and right, partisans of every cause except that of Epicurus himself feel compelled to enlist Epicurus as a saint or a demon, for or against…

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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:…

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Inspired by the considerations on the Epicurean friendship of Phillp Mithis in the book "The Ethical Theory of Epicurus - The pleasures of Invulnerability," I want to summarize the thought of Epicurus on friendship, trying to use his own words as much as possible, and adding mine where

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[Cassius: I write the following article clearly stating that it is my own personal opinion, without representation that it is or should be "the Epicurean position." I do not believe that I or anyone else has the ability to say what political positions every person applying Epicurean principles…

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JC:


Hi Cassius. I'm sorry to badger you about this again, but I'm still trying to get my head around the pleasure principle. From my reading, all scholars agree that Epicurus divides pleasure into kinetic and katastematic. Am I right in thinking mainline scholars think Epicurus prized the latter…

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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…

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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…

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cup.pngThis is a draft article, and end notes are not complete yet
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…

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Epicurean Philosophy or Epicureanism?

In a recent conversation to the Garden of Thessaloniki, a question was raised whether the Epicureans could participate as a party to the political scene of the Country. The friend George Kaplanis replied that this could not be done, because Epicurean philosophy…

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"The Canon of Epicurus In Everyday Life"

The purpose of this proposition is a brief introduction to the Canon of Epicurus that will help us to use it in our everyday life. There are, of course, studies on logical issues, which are very advanced and are based on studies of brain function,…

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“Online Communication With Cassius”

For the 6^th Panhellenic Symposium of Epicurean Philosophy that was held by the Epicurean Gardens of Athens and Thessaloniki, February 2018


1.     (OPENING - TWO MINUTES VIDEO WITH FAVORITE MELODIES)

I wonder how one starts up an online communication and how he can…

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PREFACE 1.

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…

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Positive Mental Health And Well-Being - Epicurus's Use Of The Greek Word "EUDAEMONIA"

Hi to all the epicurean friends ,

To a Greek website called as "psychology now. gr" I found an interesting article that I translated into english.

Since 2012 Nordic countries have been ranked steadily as the…

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WE AND THE STOICS TODAY, or “To Those from the Stoa”

by Dimitris Liarmakopoulos, member of the Epicurean Garden in Thessaloniki
27.11.2015



A proposition about Stoicism on an Epicurean website causes at least reasonable questions. At a minimum, when an informal agreement in the Garden is in place,…

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Genetics and Bioethics - A Philosophical Approach - By Christois Yapijakis

Selection_604.pngChristos Yapijakis recently presented a seminar on Genetics and Bioethics about 10 days ago at the University of Cyprus postgraduate program in Biological Sciences. The context of the presentation was the…

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Christos Yapijakis: "Mistakes of Cognitive Perception and Epicurean Prudence"

From Christos Yapijakis: I have translated for you and our international friends my Greek presentation slides at the 9th Panhellenic Symposium of Epicurean Philosophy. [The title is "Mistakes of Cognitive Perception…

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Epicurean Philosophy, Modern Science, and Life

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Source for the following article:  Technion - Israel Institute of Technology

A live conversation between Christos Yapijakis, geneticist and philosopher, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece and Stefano Cianfarani,…

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Epicurean Influences On The Enlightenment

by Dimitris Altas, Cardiologist, member of the epicurean team epicuros21, Thessaloniki, Hellas.


EPICUREAN INFLUENCES ON ENLIGHTENMENT.jpgIn 1453 the Ottomans conquered Constantinople by abolishing the Eastern Roman Empire, a fact which had a significant…

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The Epicurean Viewpoint

by George Kaplanis founding member of the Epicurean Garden in Thessaloniki


Now I ask you: what is the “Epicurean Viewpoint”?

- It is the view that we gain from looking through the Canon of Epicurus.
- If our viewpoint was gained through the…

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A Neighbor And His Dog

I have a story to tell you about a neighbor and his dog, but first I would like to share with you some thoughts on Epicurean Doctrine 40: “As many as possess the power to procure complete security from their neighbors, these also live most pleasantly with…

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A Five Star Presentation of Epicurean Philosophy

I think it's important that we begin to present Epicurean philosophy through podcasts and other audio-video means, so as a test I put together this basic Youtube presentation. I haven't edited the sound and this includes all the…

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Selection_999(359).jpgUnderstanding Epicurus takes considerable effort, but not because the doctrines are difficult - they're not! The problem is that Epicurean philosophy has been heavily criticized for more than two thousand years, and most of the articles and commentary that have been produced…

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Creating "Articles" Here At EpicuranFriends.com

One of the abilities of the EpicureanFriends.com forum software is that it handles the publishing of longer "Articles" that can then be tagged and featured for various uses around the site, such as on the home page, where they will…

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This chart comparing the major features of Stoicism vs Epicurean philosophy is a continuing 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…

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"Objection Your Honor! Attorney Cicero Is Mischaracterizing the Testimony!

My title for this article may be melodramatic for effect, but it is essentially the theme of Boris Nikolsky's article "Epicurus On Pleasure" available here in our Files Section. The effect…

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“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


Full Cup / Fullness of Pleasure Model (full size)
There…

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Top Problematic Attitude and “Life Premise” Issues Made Worse By Stoicism and Cured by Epicurean Philosophy

Cassius Amicus 01-31-2017

With the assistance of input from the Facebook group, I have been working on a list of basic “attitude” or “life premise” divergences that separate Epicurean…

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You Have Been Deceived!

You have been deceived.

If you are hearing these words in the early years of the twenty-first century, then you have already wasted much of your life dealing with nonsense.

If you are surrounded by people who are called “religious,” then you have wasted your time dealing…

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The Epicurean Critique of Mathematics

I just received this link and have not had a chance to read it but the topic seems fascinating ("The Epicurean Critique of Mathematics") and it comes to us through our friends in Greece. Please read and comment when you can either here or at…

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Epicurean Meetings and Conventions

A new Wiki Page devoted to assisting those who want to set up local Epicurean meetup groups or meetings has now been set up.  It will be easier to update that page as developments occur, so rather than duplicating that post here, click on over…

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A Link From Ancient to Modern Greece – Liantinis' “Gemma”

Cassius Amicus 07-8-2017 0 Comments

This is a tardy call to attention of a translation of an important Greek work by Dimitris Liantinis, prepared by a participant of the Epicurean Philosophy Facebook group, Yiannis Tsapras). Liantinis…

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Another Important Step Toward Correcting the Record On Epicurus and Living A Better Life Today - Haris Dimitriadis' Epicurus and the Pleasant Life.

By Cassius Amicuson July 6, 2017

Harisbook4.jpgJuly 6, 2017 - I hope to come back to this review and add more detail, but I have now finished reading…

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"When the Gospel of Minimalism Collides With Daily Life" 

New York Times: ".... But those who have tried the minimalist way have found that it’s not always as satisfying as design websites and tiny-house blogs insist. For some people, purging did not bring Shangri-La. Like most things, living…

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