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 necessary. I am indebted to Carlo Diano because his thematic collection of Epicurus's maxims was essential. The first Epicurean festival, whose general theme was about friendship, was also very useful.
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elli
Replied to the thread Welcome MWheeler!.PostWelcome MWheeler, and Hello Lawrence !
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Cassius
Replied to the thread Tom Stoppard on Human Rights.PostAlso that reminds me of this from Thomas Jefferson, which uses "ploughman" rather than "child" for the same point, from a letter to Peter Carr:
Moral Philosophy. I think it lost time to attend lectures on this branch. He who made us would have been a… -
Godfrey
Replied to the thread Tom Stoppard on Human Rights.PostMaybe a more accurate description is "sloppily", "lazily" or"unknowingly" Epicurean.
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Cassius
Replied to the thread Tom Stoppard on Human Rights.PostYes I agree that it rings that way, although I think probably the deeper implications are buried under the words "know" and "knowledge" which are probably not the exact Epicurean framework.
Possibly would be more accurate to say that children "feel"… -
Godfrey
Posted the thread Tom Stoppard on Human Rights.ThreadFrom The Daily Extra on The Argyle Sweater daily calendar (a small daily pleasure):
Quote of the Day
"For me, human rights simply endorse a view of life and a set of moral values that are perfectly clear to an eight-year-old child. A child knows what… -
Cassius
PostOK the Adelaide version is incomplete - the original appears to start with Leontion making a point somewhat similar to "Ternissa" but the omitted part does make it easier to understand how the conversation has developed. The opening footnote to Cicero… -
Cassius
PostHMMM - Elli finds what appears to be a different version:
Elli posted:
The painting is beautiful. However, this morning and as I started to read this book by that British Walter Savage Landor entitled: "Imaginary conversations of Epicurus, Leontion… -
Cassius
PostI just skipped to the end looking for a conclusion and am similarly confused. This seems to me to compare pretty unfavorably to "A Few Days In Athens," where Frances Wright's points always seem very clear and precise, but I need to read the full thing… -
Cassius
PostIf anyone reads to the end of the "Imaginary conversation" let us know what you think. I find the beginning rather unimpressive.
Is the beginning directed in some broad manner that "hate" should not exist? If so the only point I can imagine about it… -
JJElbert
PostStott (a painter who until now was completely obscure to me) has another work of interest. His "Venus Born of the Sea Foam" begs comparison to "The Birth of Venus" by Sandro Botticelli. In Botticelli's scene the erotic energy of Venus is tempered by… -
JJElbert
PostTwo more excellent finds, Charles. I thought the dialogue was new to me, but I found that the first portion was familiar. I don't know where I might have encountered it.
Having now read the whole of it, I found it a trifle frivolous; but there are… -
Charles Edwins
ThreadLeontion.jpg
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I recalled seeing this painting somewhere prior to being an Epicurean, and only when I asked members of the Discord if they would like to assist me in finding EP related art, did I attempt to find this again. This painting was acquired… -
Elayne
Replied to the thread Wilson (Catherine) - "How To Be An Epicurean".PostEpicurus was highly successful in his time, and part of the reason is that he did not waste time debating opponents in the public square. By forming his own Garden, he was able to teach uninterrupted and to build a base from which outreach could occur.… -
Cassius
Replied to the thread Wilson (Catherine) - "How To Be An Epicurean".Posti suppose I am not as much of a libertarian as you are Hiram. I am interested in people who see the same things that I do and form friendships on that basis. I recognize that everyone will not agree, and the problem is not lack of communication, nor… -
Hiram
Replied to the thread Wilson (Catherine) - "How To Be An Epicurean".Post(Quote from Cassius)
I think it's great that there's an open, wide market (agora?) of ideas out there and that people are openly disagreeing with us. That's not a reason not to engage people. I WANT to hear their disagreements. I've written for Partially… -
Hiram
Replied to the thread Dead Reddit / The "Isms" Thread.Post(Quote from Nate)
To many followers, Epicurus was a salvific figure, a cultural hero of humanism and science. Plotina (stepmother of Emperor Hadrian, circa 120 of Common Era) called Epicurus her Savior, Lucian praised him as holy (in Alexander the Oracle… -
elli
Replied to the thread Dead Reddit / The "Isms" Thread.Post80. The first measure of security is to watch over one’s youth and to guard against what makes havoc of all by means of impetuous desires for idealistic ideas.
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Lawrence
Replied to the thread Welcome MWheeler!.PostWelcome MWheeler! -
Cassius
Replied to the thread Dead Reddit / The "Isms" Thread.PostSo Elli how would you translate 80? How would you revise this English translation?
(Quote from elli)
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elli
Replied to the thread Dead Reddit / The "Isms" Thread.PostI have some news. I read carefully the following ES 80 and I've noticed a particular greek word.
LXXX.(80) Νέῳ σωτηρίας μοῖρα τῆς ἡλικίας τήρησις καὶ φυλακὴ τῶν πάντα μολυνόντων κατὰ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τὰς οἰστρώδεις.
80. The first measure of security is… -
Cassius
Posted the thread Welcome MWheeler!.ThreadWelcome MWheeler and thanks for joining us! When you get a chance, please tell us about yourself and your background in Epicurean philosophy.
It would be particularly helpful if you could tell us (1) how you found this forum, and (2) how much… -
elli
Replied to the thread Dead Reddit / The "Isms" Thread.PostCassius wrote : <<I suspect this is another area where DeWitt slips due to his affection for Christianity.>>
Deviousness, dear reader. Deviousness and pretense. All such references are like the ink of a squid, to muddle the water. Like Themistocles and… -
elli
Replied to the thread Dead Reddit / The "Isms" Thread.Post"Ionic", by C.P Cavafy
That we’ve broken their statues,
that we’ve driven them out of their temples,
doesn’t mean at all that the gods are dead.
O land of Ionia, they’re still in love with you,
their souls still keep your memory.
Cavafy will write in… -
Cassius
Created the event Skype Discussion - Lucretius - 10 AM Eastern US Time.EventCheck this thread for agenda and further details: Organization of the "On The Nature of Things" Podcast -
Cassius
Replied to the thread Dead Reddit / The "Isms" Thread.PostI clipped this from a screen at FB, on the same point (that Epicurean culture cannot flourish in all nations):
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Cassius
Replied to the thread Dead Reddit / The "Isms" Thread.PostAnother thing that I think is VERY important about the role of Epicurus. From Diogenes Laertius:
"He [the wise man] will be more susceptible of emotion than other men: that will be no hindrance to his wisdom. However, not every bodily constitution nor… -
Cassius
Replied to the thread Dead Reddit / The "Isms" Thread.PostI agree with Joshua and will add more:
(Quote from Nate)
I believe this is also a correct statement, and i don't think there is any contradiction between the two positions.
As Joshua says, the combination of ideas could have been assembled by others at… -
JJElbert
Replied to the thread Dead Reddit / The "Isms" Thread.PostExcellent topic, Nate! He is of course using "cult" as a Classicist here, free of its modern sinister connotations.
To my mind there are two questions here. Could the Epicurean system of thought have developed independent of Epicurus? I should think… -
Nate
Replied to the thread Dead Reddit / The "Isms" Thread.PostI'm looking for clarification on the following quotation by De Witt:
"...Epicureanism was primarily a cult of the founder..."
Screen Shot 2019-12-08 at 9.06.35 PM.png
In discussions with Hiram and Charles about Reddit, I was re-reading a familiar passage… -
Nate
Added 5 images.Images/Videos
Recent Articles From Our EpicureanFriends Blogs
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Political Division In The Promotion of Epicurean Philosophy: A Prescription For Disaster
…[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 will take, and indeed that is the point of this article. I am writing this mainly to those of us who consider
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On Pleasure vs. Tranquility - A Dialogue With Southampton
JC:
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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 over the former, and that DeWitt didn't? I ask because although mainline scholars I've read equate pleasure with tranquility / absence of