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Cassius December 16, 2025 at 1:39 PM

Replied to the thread Episode 311 - Is Pain The Only Reason We Should Be Concerned About Any Aspect Of Death And Dying?.
Post

Episode 311 of the Lucretius Today Podcast is now available. This week our episode is entitled: "Is Pain The Only Reason To Be Concerned About Any Aspect Of Death And Dying?"

In the absence of Joshua and Kalosyni this week, this episode is my brief review…
jcblackmon December 16, 2025 at 12:41 PM

Replied to the thread How the Epicureans might have predicted Lorentz time dilation.
Post

I see. I was thinking of measuring speeds in units of s. I should have been more clear and will try to be from here on out. Thank you!
Martin December 16, 2025 at 9:44 AM

Replied to the thread How the Epicureans might have predicted Lorentz time dilation.
Post

As speed has a unit, the normalization would need to be a bit more elaborate than just equating s with 1. One way to normalize would be to divide b by s but that might require adapting some of the text. I found no mistake in the text so far, but as…
Kalosyni December 16, 2025 at 9:32 AM

Replied to the thread Episode 312 - Not Yet Recorded.
Post

Particularly this week, is another prime example of Cicero's use of rhetoric to twist and bend an argument.

I found this interesting article, which mainly talks about Cicero.
jcblackmon December 16, 2025 at 9:29 AM

Replied to the thread How the Epicureans might have predicted Lorentz time dilation.
Post

Thank you, Martin, and forgive me; I came to this as an outsider, not a physicist or math person. I perhaps did not make clear that I was normalizing, and so s = 1. Yes, unless there is a deeper problem (if so, please tell me), I will clarify this…
jcblackmon December 16, 2025 at 8:58 AM

Replied to the thread How the Epicureans might have predicted Lorentz time dilation.
Post

Thank you, Cassius and Eikadistes. I love this quote of Einstein's which I did not know about.

I grasped the idea when I was taking Philosophy of Space and Time taught by Jeff Barrett at UCI back in the 20th century. As an English student at the time, I…
Martin December 16, 2025 at 8:45 AM

Replied to the thread How the Epicureans might have predicted Lorentz time dilation.
Post

I am halfway through with reading the publication und do not yet know by when I will finish and provide a more detailed reply.
I send this quickly in advance just in case there is a follow-up publication in the works: Please hold back or correct a mistake…
Elli December 16, 2025 at 2:56 AM

Wrote the blog article The Epic of Epicurus - Ithaca and the Garden: Dialectic and the Canon.
Blog Article

E.S. XXXVI (36) The life of Epicurus, when compared with that of other philosophers, seems almost legendary thanks to the calmness and self-sufficiency that distinguished him.

-----

In Mytilene, where once philosophical schools flourished, a young…
Bryan December 15, 2025 at 9:56 PM

Replied to the thread Latest Article by Elli Pensa - The Epic of Epicurus - Ithaca and the Garden - Dialectic and The Canon.
Post

I am happy to see that map Elli included! I made it many years ago and have it on my wall... but I did not expect to see it in the wild! I forgot I had even shared it.
Eikadistes December 15, 2025 at 7:44 PM

Replied to the thread Latest Article by Elli Pensa - The Epic of Epicurus - Ithaca and the Garden - Dialectic and The Canon.
Post

Elli publish here! Facebook won't let me read it without re-enlisting.
Eikadistes December 15, 2025 at 4:31 PM

Replied to the thread How the Epicureans might have predicted Lorentz time dilation.
Post

[…]

Please do!

While none of the Hellenists predicted the wide spectrum of discoveries that the 20th-century uniquely hosted, Epíkouros seems to me to have anticipated more of the contemporary nuances than any other philosopher. One, subtle example I like…
Eikadistes December 15, 2025 at 4:10 PM

Replied to the thread Welcome JCBlackmon.
Post

Welcome! (And awesome first post!)
Cassius December 15, 2025 at 12:58 PM

Replied to the thread How the Epicureans might have predicted Lorentz time dilation.
Post

JC this is going to over my own head and I suspect many of our readers, but I absolutely do hope you will add your simplified version and keep posting about it even if responses are slow.

We very much need to step up our game on physics and any posts you…
jcblackmon December 15, 2025 at 12:28 PM

Replied to the thread Welcome JCBlackmon.
Post

Thank you, Martin. Looking forward to any thoughts you might have on it.
Kalosyni December 15, 2025 at 11:34 AM

Posted the thread Good Website for Self-Help and Learning Coping Skills (dealing with depression etc.).
Thread

I happened upon this and wanted to share...have not read all the entries, but some aspects seem compatible to Epicureanism...looks to be helpful toward removing severe mental pains:

https://nowmattersnow.org/learn-skills/

[…]

Edit note: This website also…
jcblackmon December 15, 2025 at 10:05 AM

Posted the thread How the Epicureans might have predicted Lorentz time dilation.
Thread

Hi, everyone. I've argued that if, as Epicurus held, in some frame of reference all the most fundamental particles of which all other things are composed move at the same speed (his doctrine of isotacheia, also isotakheia), and if that speed is c, then…
Cassius December 14, 2025 at 9:31 AM

Posted the thread Episode 312 - Not Yet Recorded.
Thread

Welcome to Episode 312 of Lucretius Today. This is a podcast dedicated to the poet Lucretius, who wrote "On The Nature of Things," the most complete presentation of Epicurean philosophy left to us from the ancient world. Each week we walk you through the…
Cassius December 14, 2025 at 7:21 AM

Replied to the thread Latest Article by Elli Pensa - The Epic of Epicurus - Ithaca and the Garden - Dialectic and The Canon.
Post

Admin note: The biggest frustration I have with our forum software is that we don't have the site set up to give prominence to "articles" such as this new one by Elli. The current "blog" and "articles" section do not appear to be well integrated with the…
Cassius December 14, 2025 at 7:13 AM

Posted the thread Latest Article by Elli Pensa - The Epic of Epicurus - Ithaca and the Garden - Dialectic and The Canon.
Thread

Elli has a new article and interesting graphic here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Epicure…88293067459648/
Martin December 14, 2025 at 2:00 AM

Replied to the thread Welcome JCBlackmon.
Post

Welcome JCBlackmon!

I am a physicist, too, and guess the derivation is similar to the derivation from the absolute constance of the speed of light and the equivalence of all inertial frames of reference. Please explain or share a link to your publication.
Cassius December 13, 2025 at 8:19 PM

Replied to the thread Article By Dr. Emily Austin - "Epicurus And The Politics Of The Fear Of Death".
Post

For someone debating whether to comment on this article, here again is one of the key paragraphs:

[…]

The question comes down to: It's *not* the fear of pain, alone that should cause us to not want to diie. But if our only distinction in discussion fear of…
Cassius December 13, 2025 at 7:52 PM

Replied to the thread Article By Dr. Emily Austin - "Epicurus And The Politics Of The Fear Of Death".
Post

Here is an excerpt from the article, which comes after she states that in theory, of course, it would be preferable to live in an actual Epicurean garden:

[…]

This underlined statmeent is consistent with the position taken by Aioz and Baori in their "…
Cassius December 13, 2025 at 7:35 PM

Replied to the thread Article By Dr. Emily Austin - "Epicurus And The Politics Of The Fear Of Death".
Post

Also Eikadistes you have raised one of the subtleties of the article that is not apparent til you read it thoroughly.

The issue is not simply limited to "we are afraid of dying a painful death because we don't want pain."

As Austin points out, if that…
Cassius December 13, 2025 at 7:22 PM

Replied to the thread Welcome JCBlackmon.
Post

Hello jcblackmon in case you tried and were not able to post you should be able to do so now!
Cassius December 13, 2025 at 5:29 PM

Replied to the thread Article By Dr. Emily Austin - "Epicurus And The Politics Of The Fear Of Death".
Post

[…]

Great post, Eikadistes, and I want to emphasize how much I share this view. I am not "afraid" of pain because I know it can be overcome or escaped. But even though I am not "afraid" I am sure as heck motivated to act against it and make sure that I…
Eikadistes December 13, 2025 at 1:25 PM

Replied to the thread Article By Dr. Emily Austin - "Epicurus And The Politics Of The Fear Of Death".
Post

Superficially, I'm not sure I like the idea of identifying"fear" as the motivating factor behind preventing preventable death, versus, perhaps, rational avoidance. Then again, we practice avoidance to prevent non-constructive pain, and fear is definitely…
EdGenX December 13, 2025 at 12:46 PM

Replied to the thread Welcome JCBlackmon.
Post

Welcome aboard JCBlackmon!
DaveT December 13, 2025 at 12:27 PM

Commented on blog article “When Science Returns to the Hellenic Worldview: Empathy and Consciousness Redeemed”.
Comment (Blog Article)

Beautiful prose clearly stated. Thank you.
DaveT December 13, 2025 at 11:57 AM

Replied to the thread Article By Dr. Emily Austin - "Epicurus And The Politics Of The Fear Of Death".
Post

[…]

Yes, that seems to be a very reasonable way to springboard a conversation. I, as one closer to death than most of our friends, I "try" to not fear death, and while seeking support for that in Epicurus, I submit to it's inevitability. No big issue…
Cassius December 13, 2025 at 11:17 AM

Replied to the thread Welcome JCBlackmon.
Post

JCBlackmon tells us in part:

I am interested in Epicurus for two main reasons. First, I very much admire stoicism; second, I think it can be shown how an empirical and mathematical equivalent of Einsteinian relativity can be derived from his atomism,…
Cassius December 13, 2025 at 11:16 AM

Posted the thread Welcome JCBlackmon.
Thread

Welcome jcblackmon !

There is one last step to complete your registration:

All new registrants must post a response to this message here in this welcome thread (we do this in order to minimize spam registrations).

You must post your response within 24…
Kalosyni December 13, 2025 at 9:26 AM

Replied to the thread Article By Dr. Emily Austin - "Epicurus And The Politics Of The Fear Of Death".
Post

[…]

I feel very differently than you do DaveT and I think it provides an excellent springboard for discussing many aspects of death and dying. Perhaps you feel very confident that you have conquered all your fears for all aspects of death and pain. But…
DaveT December 13, 2025 at 9:18 AM

Replied to the thread Article By Dr. Emily Austin - "Epicurus And The Politics Of The Fear Of Death".
Post

[…]

I had already begun the article before commenting earlier. However I decided it wasn't worth my brain buster skills to follow along and I stopped without finishing it. If I was asked by Emily Austin what I thought about it, I'd ask her in turn, why…
Don December 12, 2025 at 4:31 PM

Replied to the thread Article By Dr. Emily Austin - "Epicurus And The Politics Of The Fear Of Death".
Post

Another potential paper to add to the mix:

https://www.academia.edu/resource/work/7565349
Cassius December 12, 2025 at 3:54 PM

Replied to the thread Welcome EdGenX.
Post

Glad to hear it! And we look forward to your posting with any comments or questions you have as you read it or read other threads on the forum. It's a big part of he enjoyment we get from the forum to hear what others are thinking and respond to…
Kalosyni December 12, 2025 at 3:14 PM

Replied to the thread Article By Dr. Emily Austin - "Epicurus And The Politics Of The Fear Of Death".
Post

--fyi to everyone--We are setting the Fourth Sunday to discuss this article--open to all fully registered members.

Fourth Sunday Zoom - December 28, 2025 - Epicurean Philosophy Discussion - Agenda
Cassius December 12, 2025 at 3:11 PM

Replied to the thread Article By Dr. Emily Austin - "Epicurus And The Politics Of The Fear Of Death".
Post

[…]

I interpret that as being on he same page with most everyone. Since you Dave are one of our most recent additions, I'd be particularly interested in what you get out of the article if you get a chance to read it.
DaveT December 12, 2025 at 2:59 PM

Replied to the thread Article By Dr. Emily Austin - "Epicurus And The Politics Of The Fear Of Death".
Post

Perhaps reminding ourselves that Epicureans believe he meant what he said, and he said what he meant. Fear of Death is definite. If he didn't say fear of dying, then he didn't mean to infer it within the concept of fear of Death. Sometimes I think…
Kalosyni December 12, 2025 at 2:38 PM

Posted the thread Fourth Sunday Zoom - December 28, 2025 - Epicurean Philosophy Discussion - Agenda.
Thread

Meeting Announcement: Sunday, December 28, 2025 - Epicurean Philosophy Discussion Via Zoom.

We will discuss the article: "Epicurus on the Politics of Fearing Death" by Emily Austin.

Here is a link to the post which contains the article link:

Article By…
EdGenX December 12, 2025 at 2:25 PM

Replied to the thread Welcome EdGenX.
Post

Good Afternoon, I finally got my copy Epicurus and His Philosophy !!
Cassius December 12, 2025 at 12:15 PM

Replied to the thread Article By Dr. Emily Austin - "Epicurus And The Politics Of The Fear Of Death".
Post

[…]

I don't think reading the paper will change anything you've written, which I think is correct. What reading the paper might do, andi hope it will, is to get you to comment on exactly what viewpoint by some modern scholars of Epicurus she thinks needs…
Don December 12, 2025 at 12:09 PM

Replied to the thread Article By Dr. Emily Austin - "Epicurus And The Politics Of The Fear Of Death".
Post

[…]

Excellent point Kalosyni , and you actually gave voice to something similar rolling around in my head.

(Caveat: I'm still getting around to reading Dr. Austin's paper)

TauPhi gave the four "fears of death" from the paper:

(1) the fear of being dead;…
Cassius December 12, 2025 at 11:54 AM

Replied to the thread Epicurus vs Aristotle: the Role of Reason vs Sensation Seeking?.
Post

[…]

I want to strongly agree with this comment. "A priori" and "A prosteriori" are certainly very useful terms in the right circumstances and of course thanks to Joshua for pointing them out. But as Kalosyni says, practically no normal person in real…
Kalosyni December 12, 2025 at 11:27 AM

Replied to the thread Article By Dr. Emily Austin - "Epicurus And The Politics Of The Fear Of Death".
Post

In the real world of actual experience, I'd like to question whether or not you can easily separate the "fear of the state of being dead" from "the fear of the process of dying".

This year I got the flu twice, and it was really bad in January, and…
Kalosyni December 12, 2025 at 9:01 AM

Replied to the thread Epicurus vs Aristotle: the Role of Reason vs Sensation Seeking?.
Post

I just found this, which has a lot more on a priori and a posteriori:

https://iep.utm.edu/apriori/

It seems like we must have some level of logic when we use words and speak - an example is "all bachelors are unmarried" which doesn't require sensation to…
Eikadistes December 12, 2025 at 12:59 AM

Replied to a comment by Novem on the image In This House, We Believe.
Reply (Image/Video)

I've got you covered.
Novem December 12, 2025 at 12:04 AM

Commented on the image In This House, We Believe.
Comment (Image/Video)

Perhaps some Epicurean merch can be sold - yard signs, t-shirts, bumper stickers, coffee mugs, and battle jacket patches.
Novem December 11, 2025 at 11:51 PM

Replied to the thread Crooked Thinking or Straight Talk?: Modernizing Epicurean Scientific Philosophy.
Post

I bought a used copy of it and Natural Justice; I just heard of him on Philosophy Substack in metaethics. One person was influenced by Benmore to develop a theory of evolutionary and game-theoretic Humean constructivist metaethics--and he mentions…
Cassius December 11, 2025 at 7:29 PM

Replied to the thread Article By Dr. Emily Austin - "Epicurus And The Politics Of The Fear Of Death".
Post

[…]

Tau Phi's point on "fear of death" is correct and I think all of us (even Warren and the people holding the viewpoint that is the target of the article) are all agreed on that.

The reason I don't recall discussing this previously, and the reason I…
Cassius December 11, 2025 at 5:55 PM

Replied to the thread Was Lucretius More "Anti-Religious" Than Epicurus Himself?.
Post

Note to Kalosyni and other admins: If the discussion of the religion angle takes off (and that's perfectly fine if it does) - Dave is raising a good issue) we'll probably split that part off into a separate thread to keep this focused on the…

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