Featured "First Generation" Epicureans

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The EpicureanFriends Files section is where our Level 3 and above participants store longer documents created offsite which are of special interest to the study of Epicurus. You can use the "Categories" box on the right to find specific sections of the library.

Greetings, all! I created a document that organizes a list of "First Generation" Epicureans (with citations). As always, I hope you find it to be useful. Let me know if you note any Epicureans from c. 311 BCE - 269 BCE that I did not include on this list.

Greetings, all! I created a document that organizes a list of "First Generation" Epicureans (with citations). As always, I hope you find it to be useful. Let me know if you note any Epicureans from c. 311 BCE - 269 BCE that I did not include on this list.

March 1, 2024 at 2:08 PM

This is a great list! Where do we learn that Timocrates and Herodotus left for Platonism?
March 5, 2024 at 12:52 PM
Author

I found that suggestion from a secondary source (I'll have to find it). If I recall their arguments correctly, the schools of the Stoa and that of Pyrrho were only just beginning to develop and had yet to mature into into robust philosophical traditions by the time that the Epicurean defectors published polemics against Epicurus and his Garden. Since they wrote in the style of a philosophical polemic, they continued expressing themselves as lovers of wisdom, and that places them somewhere in the Academic, Peripatetic, or Cynic schools. Based on the content of their accusations against Epicurus (their disgust with bodily pleasure, etc.), they are assumed to have defected to Plato's school.
February 27, 2024 at 4:54 PM

Elli added this comment to Nate's file at Facebook:

Elli Pensa

Admin

This is an outstanding work. Bravo, my friend Nathan! (y)

Nathan wrote [...Khairédēmos of Sámos - Kathēgētḗs; Brother of Epíkouros; named for their mother (DL X.3, 27)...]

Τhe name of Epicurus' mother was "Khairestráte" and thanks to the name of mother, her son would be named as "Khairéstratos".

Since, another name is Khairédēmos and another name is Khairéstratos.

- Khairéstratos means the joy of army or the greetings to the army.

- And Khairédemos means the joy of démos or the greetings to démos.

- We have the epicurean Philódemos that means the friend of démos. From the word Dēmos comes the word "Demokratēa"(Democracy) and the word "demṓtis" that means the one who was registered in the registers of a démos (municipality) of ancient Athens.

And as the ancient greek names have a meaning thas is connected with the characteristics/character of a man/woman that are following all of his/her life, and till the end. Since we see what is the end of someone to understand how all of his/her life was. Because we (epicureans) say it is the same training which teaches to live well and to die well.

Thus now, we have to examine the names of "the three caballeros" and "Saludos ex Amigos" 😃

Nathan wrote: [..."Ex-Phíloi" (φίλοι) or Ex-“Friends” / Former Associates of Epíkouros.

*Hēródotos of Lampsakós - Recipient of the famous letter; left for Platonism (DL X.4-5)

Metródōros of Stratoníkeia - A disciple of Epíkouros who “went over” to Karneádēs (DL X.9)

*Timokrátēs of Lampsakós - Brother of Metród., Batís, and Mento.; left for Platonism (DL X.4-5)...]

- Hēródotos means the one that is given or assigned to the goddess Hera...but after Herodotus rejected the epicurean philosophy and left for platonism, he remains as a given/assigned to the goddess Hera. And in the end what does his name mean? Stupid! 😛

- Metródōros means the one that is a gift to his mother... but after he rejected epicurean philosophy and left to Karneades, he remains a gift that is under the skirts of his mother. And in the end what does his name mean? Stupid! 😛

- Timokrátēs means the power of honor or simply to hold your honor...but, after he rejected the epicurean philosophy and left to Platonism, he remains just to hold his honor... but honor - without prudence and justice - does not lead to a pleasant life. And in the end what does his name mean? Stupid! 😛
February 25, 2024 at 11:36 AM

Great - Thank you Nate!

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