Epicureanfriends.com

LATEST LUCRETIUS TODAY PODCAST: Episode 326 - "Who Cares About Infinite Divisibility? And Why?" | Website Overview | Forum Navigation Map | Latest Blog Post: Not a Bunker But A Camp - Epicurean Engagement With Society

New Graphics: Are You On Team Epicurus? | Comparison Chart: Epicurus vs. Other Philosophies | Chart Of Key Epicurean Quotations

Recent Activities

Eikadistes March 29, 2026 at 10:12 PM

Replied to the thread Welcome Page259!.
Post

Thanks, I've got it covered.
TauPhi March 29, 2026 at 8:04 PM

Replied to the thread Welcome Page259!.
Post

[…]

Haha. It's official then. EpicureanFriends site has every resource on Epicurean philosophy in the universe. Including missing pages from books in form of its members!

Eikadistes I can see on your web site that you managed to find the missing English…
Cassius March 29, 2026 at 7:22 PM

Replied to the thread Welcome Page259!.
Post

That IS Weird! I have no idea why....
Eikadistes March 29, 2026 at 6:08 PM

Replied to the thread Welcome Page259!.
Post

... weirdly, I am missing page 259 in my copy of Obbink's translation of On Piety, which includes an English translation of column(s) 77A/77B, and after scouring the web, was lead here...
Cassius March 29, 2026 at 4:27 PM

Replied to the thread Connecting Thought With Atoms - Emergence, Downward Causation (From The Macroscopic To The Atomic), and Epicurus.
Post

I'll post separately that it might seem that the title of this thread and terms like "downward causation" are technicalities irrelevant to day to day life. However I'd posit that having a conceptual model of how complex systems like human beings emerge…
Cassius March 29, 2026 at 3:22 PM

Posted the thread Connecting Thought With Atoms - Emergence, Downward Causation (From The Macroscopic To The Atomic), and Epicurus.
Thread

In today's Zoom and also podcast this issue was discussed as a result of David Sedley's article "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism." The basic concept as I understand it it likely this:

Epicurus would have understood just as we do today that it is not intuitive…
Cassius March 29, 2026 at 12:19 PM

Replied to the thread Sunday March 29, 2026 - Zoom Meeting - Lucretius Book Review - This Week: A Quick Look At Sedley's "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".
Post

Yes that video sets up the issue very well thank you!
Kalosyni March 29, 2026 at 10:16 AM

Replied to the thread Sunday March 29, 2026 - Zoom Meeting - Lucretius Book Review - This Week: A Quick Look At Sedley's "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".
Post

This very short video may be relevant:

youtube.com/watch?v=BxV3EXRfvBg
Cassius March 28, 2026 at 10:29 AM

Posted the thread Episode 327 - EATAQ 09 - Cashing In On Dividing Nature Into Active And Passive Components - The False Assertion of Intelligent Design.
Thread

Welcome to Episode 327 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…
Don March 28, 2026 at 7:01 AM

Replied to the thread New "TWENTIERS" Website.
Post

Got it.

For anyone curious as to what we're going on about, here's the end of the manuscript where the title is ...

ΦΙΛΟΔΗΜΟΥ

ΠΡΟCΤΟΥC

(end of papyrus torn off)

Idiomatically then, all we have extant is:

By Philodemus

Against The/Pertaining to the/According…
Eikadistes March 28, 2026 at 4:57 AM

Replied to the thread New "TWENTIERS" Website.
Post

[…]

As far as I know, you are correct. I went with the suggestion from Giuseppe Casanova (1806) who sketched it. He suggests the word ἐταίρους (étaírous) or “Comrades”. From this, I see other authors (who like re-naming everything in Latin) using…
Don March 27, 2026 at 10:42 PM

Replied to the thread New "TWENTIERS" Website.
Post

[…]

https://papyri.info/dclp/62437

You can look at the engravings for each page at the link.

[…]

What made you decide on "Comrades"? My understanding is that there is no noun in the title, just ΠΡΟΣ ΤΟΥΣ...
Eikadistes March 27, 2026 at 6:12 PM

Replied to the thread Travel Video - Ancient Acropolis and Agora.
Post

That was nice to watch. Thanks!
Cassius March 27, 2026 at 4:58 PM

Replied to the thread Article - David Sedley - 1988 - "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".
Post

These are very relevant points Dave and I think about them all the time. Here's my current view.

[…]

I don't think I am violating the no-politics rule by observing that the world is on the brink of WW3 and I would say that a major reason is that most of…
Cassius March 27, 2026 at 4:35 PM

Replied to the thread Episode 326 - EATAQ 08 - Who Cares About Infinite Divisibility? And Why?.
Post

Episode 326 of the Lucretius Today Podcast is now available. This week our episode is entitled: "Who Cares About Infinite Divisibility? And Why?"

[media]https://www.spreaker.com/episode/70936642/media
Kalosyni March 27, 2026 at 3:37 PM

Replied to the thread Travel Video - Ancient Acropolis and Agora.
Post

Here's a fun and short travel video in Greece (and they have done other places in the world too).

m.youtube.com/watch?v=GUVshaiJn9I
DaveT March 27, 2026 at 3:35 PM

Replied to the thread Article - David Sedley - 1988 - "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".
Post

[…]

I understand your point of view. On the other hand I see progress away from the monarchical God and church appointed governments of the last 250 years. No longer do we accept conquest in the name of god's command to subjugate the earth.

I think there…
Cassius March 27, 2026 at 12:43 PM

Replied to the thread Article - David Sedley - 1988 - "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".
Post

[…]

Probably that's the cruc of the issue. There's a wide variety of people here with different backgrounds and interests, but this is primarily a forum for the promotion of Epicurean philosophy, not for philosophy generalists (not placing you in that…
DaveT March 27, 2026 at 12:09 PM

Replied to the thread Article - David Sedley - 1988 - "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".
Post

[…]

Cassius, your suspicion is quite incorrect as well as your conclusion. I do think my posts relating to Sedley's interpretations, indeed Lucretius' interpretations and arguments of Epicurus' beliefs need to be balanced and kept in context much better.

…
Eikadistes March 27, 2026 at 8:49 AM

Replied to the thread New "TWENTIERS" Website.
Post

There's a link to the full transcription of P.Herc. 1005 in the annotations of that page.
Kalosyni March 27, 2026 at 7:36 AM

Replied to the thread New "TWENTIERS" Website.
Post

Eikadistes Thank you for your work on the Philodemus text! I see over at your link (the Twentiers website), there is this symbol used in the text:

[...]

...which is used when parts of the text are missing. Does the source text give any indication of how…
Kalosyni March 27, 2026 at 7:28 AM

Replied to the thread VS14 - "Occupied" vs. "Without Allowing Himself Leisure.".
Post

This very good article talks about "The 'Busy' Trap", written back in 2012, and perhaps relevant for some people still today. And this article helps shed some light on VS14, bringing a modern twist.

…
wbernys March 27, 2026 at 2:08 AM

Replied to the thread Welcome J.Tycherne!.
Post

Hello j.tycherne ! Happy to see someone who loves the letter to Menoceus as much as i do, and you're right to love the parts rejecting belief in fate, a belief which does nothing but inflict pessimism and misery on the hearts of mankind. I do my best…
Martin March 27, 2026 at 1:42 AM

Replied to the thread Welcome J.Tycherne!.
Post

Welcome J.Tycherne!
Godfrey March 26, 2026 at 10:58 PM

Replied to the thread Article: Not A Bunker But A Camp: A Response To “The Garden or the Forum”.
Post

Very well thought out and on point essay Cassius . I was actually quite surprised while reading Pigliucci's essay that he so thoroughly misreads Epicurean philosophy. His essay reads more as Ciceronian snark than as serious scholarship. At any rate,…
Eikadistes March 26, 2026 at 8:16 PM

Replied to the thread New "TWENTIERS" Website.
Post

I took a swing at To the Comrades by Philódēmos (P.Herc. 1005). Don did a great job here, and besides our attempts, I'm not familiar with any publications that contain the bulk in English. I'll continue polishing my attempt at a translation for what…
Eikadistes March 26, 2026 at 8:13 PM

Replied to the thread P.Herc. 1005 from Les Epicuriens (A First Draft Translation).
Post

I just re-visted this and found some additions!

Nothing major, but I notice there's a fun reference to the "half-gods" or "demi-gods" (Fragment 96) and a few allusions to Leonteús throughout. Several times, as well, I notice the thrice-repeated phrase…
Cassius March 26, 2026 at 5:04 PM

Replied to the thread Article - David Sedley - 1988 - "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".
Post

Dave, the answer to both of your questions seems to me to be pretty much the same. These things are not "totally subjective" nor are they "just brain chemistry." As the article is discussing, emergent properties like the mind's actions are not…
DaveT March 26, 2026 at 3:17 PM

Replied to the thread Article - David Sedley - 1988 - "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".
Post

[…]

Please explain how: "That is philosophically powerful ammunition against the modern dismissal ....as 'merely subjective'". Doesn't each person experience those things based on their own subjective physical and mental state?

Also, please explain how…
Cassius March 26, 2026 at 1:57 PM

Posted the thread Updated FAQ Entry: Why Should I Care About Epicurean Physics When So Much Science Has Changed In The Last 2000 Years?.
Thread

https://www.epicureanfriends.com/wcf/faq-questi…-changed-in-th/
Cassius March 26, 2026 at 1:52 PM

Replied to the thread Article - David Sedley - 1988 - "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".
Post

Thanks for your question, Dave. It comes up frequently so I have updated the FAQ. Here's the short version:

Epicurus would be the last person to insist we cling to 2,000-year-old technical details in physics just because he said them. He was emphatically…
j.tycherne March 26, 2026 at 11:21 AM

Replied to the thread Welcome J.Tycherne!.
Post

Hello all, thanks very much for your kind welcome, and thanks particularly for this list and links to texts on Epicureanism. As I mentioned in my email, I was very much interested by Epicurus' Letter to Menoikeus, which I found in Diogenes Laertius. The…
Cassius March 26, 2026 at 11:17 AM

Replied to the thread Epicurus Was Not an Atomist (...sort of).
Post

Eikadistes I thought of your article in reading David Sedley's "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism," and I wanted to be sure you saw this.

I don't recall all the details of your article, but I think you'd find the concluding section of Sedley's article…
DaveT March 26, 2026 at 11:13 AM

Replied to the thread Article - David Sedley - 1988 - "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".
Post

Sorry I missed the discussion on this topic since my observation may already have been raised and answered.

Why should interpretations of Epicurus' thinking on atoms, that is, whether he was either or both a reductionist and/or an anti reductionist, be…
Cassius March 26, 2026 at 11:03 AM

Posted the thread "And With These We Especially Do Battle, And Rebuke Them, As Well As Hating Them For A Disposition Which Follows Their Disordered Congenital Nature....".
Thread

The following is a quotation translated by David Sedley from Epicurus' On Nature 34.21-2. It comes from Sedley's discussion of "Downward Causation" in how the mind itself can influence the atoms. There are numerous implications that can be drawn from it…
Cassius March 26, 2026 at 10:48 AM

Posted the thread Sunday March 29, 2026 - Zoom Meeting - Lucretius Book Review - This Week: A Quick Look At Sedley's "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".
Thread

This week I would like us to take a step back from where we are in Lucretius so that David Sedley can explain the implications of the detail through which we are going about atoms and void. We've talked previously about his article "Epicurus' Refutation…
Cassius March 26, 2026 at 10:39 AM

Replied to the thread Article - David Sedley - 1988 - "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".
Post

In this article Sedley refers several time to aetiology and ontology and discusses which aspect is primary to Epicurus on a particular point. It might help to have this explanation before reading the article (pasted from our good friends at ChatGPT):

The…
Cassius March 26, 2026 at 10:20 AM

Posted the thread Is Motion A Property or an Event / Accident / Quality of Atoms?.
Thread

This topic was also discussed in a recent zoom meeting. The answer appears debatable, and I see that Sedley's article "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism" has this to say (see especially footnote 29):

Here is the translation from Demetrius Lacon cited on page…
Cassius March 26, 2026 at 9:54 AM

Added the file David Sedley - "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism" - 1988.
File
Discussion of this article is here.
- Summary of Main Arguments and Highlights
  1. Core Thesis: Epicureanism is Not Fully Reductionist
  Sedley’s central claim is that Epicurean philosophy, although grounded in atomism, cannot be understood as a purely
…
Cassius March 26, 2026 at 9:32 AM

Replied to the thread Article - David Sedley - 1988 - "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".
Post

There's a LOT of interest in that article. Here's a section that both interesting and "funny" as to what should probably be our love-hate relationship with Cyril Bailey:
Cassius March 26, 2026 at 9:27 AM

Replied to the thread Explaining The Relationship Between Properties / Qualities of Atoms and Emergent Qualities of Things Formed From Atoms.
Post

From the Sedley Article "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism"
Cassius March 26, 2026 at 9:13 AM

Posted the thread Article - David Sedley - 1988 - "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".
Thread

We've referenced many times on the forum the comments about this topic made by David Sedley in his "Epicurus' Refutation of Determinism."

I don't think we previously cited - or that I knew of - an article Dr. Sedley had written directly on point:

Epicurean…
Cassius March 26, 2026 at 7:02 AM

Posted the thread The Size Of Atoms (And Their Differences).
Thread

Among the topics we discussed in a zoom last night was what does Epicurus say about atomic size whether there a finite range of atomic sizes? The following is AI so take it only as a possible starting point.

Atomic Size (μέγεθος) in the Letter to
…
Cassius March 26, 2026 at 6:58 AM

Posted the thread The Weight Of Atoms (Are All The Same Weight?).
Thread

Last night in our zoom the question came up as to whether Epicurus held that atoms differ in weight. This is what AI has to say - take it for what its worth and let's discuss whether they differ in weight or not.

Atomic Weight (βάρος) in Epicurean
…
Cassius March 26, 2026 at 6:43 AM

Replied to the thread Explaining The Relationship Between Properties / Qualities of Atoms and Emergent Qualities of Things Formed From Atoms.
Post

Another option:

Sedley's Routledge Encyclopedia entry (2005) states that "atoms themselves have only the primary or ineliminable features of body: size, shape and weight," and that the ground for this parsimony is the Letter to Herodotus §54–55:…
Cassius March 26, 2026 at 6:40 AM

Replied to the thread Explaining The Relationship Between Properties / Qualities of Atoms and Emergent Qualities of Things Formed From Atoms.
Post

Again - consider these as initial drafts that will need further revision!
Cassius March 26, 2026 at 5:57 AM

Posted the thread Explaining The Relationship Between Properties / Qualities of Atoms and Emergent Qualities of Things Formed From Atoms.
Thread

In our Zoom of 3/25/26 we discussed the topic of this thread and how it would be desirable to prepare a diagram / explanation of the proper use of these terms. Bryan has by far the best command of this and he has provided some basic information from…
Cassius March 25, 2026 at 7:37 PM

Replied to the thread Welcome J.Tycherne!.
Post

J.Tycherne tells us -

[…]
Cassius March 25, 2026 at 7:37 PM

Posted the thread Welcome J.Tycherne!.
Thread

Welcome j.tycherne

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…
Cassius March 25, 2026 at 7:24 PM

Replied to the thread Article: Not A Bunker But A Camp: A Response To “The Garden or the Forum”.
Post

Thanks Joshua I will incorporate that!

News And Announcements

1. Title
2. Replies
3. Last Reply
2. Updated FAQ Entry: Why Should I Care About Epicurean Physics When So Much Science Has Changed In The Last 2000 Years?
  - Cassius
  - March 26, 2026 at 1:57 PM
  - News And Forum Updates
  - Cassius
  - March 26, 2026 at 1:57 PM
3. Replies
  
  0
  
  Views
  
  318
2. New Graphic: Epicurus vs. Other Major Philosophies
  - 2
  - Cassius
  - February 17, 2026 at 10:16 AM
  - News And Forum Updates
  - Cassius
  - February 17, 2026 at 10:16 AM
3. Replies
  
  0
  
  Views
  
  332
2. New Decision Tree: Are You On Team Epicurus?
  - 2
  - Cassius
  - February 16, 2026 at 7:02 PM
  - News And Forum Updates
  - Cassius
  - February 16, 2026 at 7:02 PM
3. Replies
  
  0
  
  Views
  
  286
2. New Audio Version of Lucian's Hermotiimus
  - 1
  - Cassius
  - February 2, 2026 at 9:15 PM
  - News And Forum Updates
  - Cassius
  - February 2, 2026 at 9:15 PM
3. Replies
  
  0
  
  Views
  
  358
2. Updating Of EpicurusToday.com 8
  - 2
  - Cassius
  - January 9, 2026 at 3:57 PM
  - News And Forum Updates
  - Cassius
  - January 11, 2026 at 7:02 PM
3. Replies
  
  8
  
  Views
  
  1.1k
  
  8
4. TauPhi
  January 11, 2026 at 7:02 PM

No entries found. Be the first to write something.

Finding Things At EpicureanFriends.com

Here is a list of suggested search strategies:

Website Overview page - clickable links arrranged by cards.
Forum Main Page - list of forums and subforums arranged by topic. Threads are posted according to relevant topics. The "Uncategorized subforum" contains threads which do not fall into any existing topic (also contains older "unfiled" threads which will soon be moved).
Search Tool - icon is located on the top right of every page. Note that the search box asks you what section of the forum you'd like to search. If you don't know, select "Everywhere."
Search By Key Tags - curated to show frequently-searched topics.
Full Tag List - an alphabetical list of all tags.

Welcome To EpicureanFriends.com!

Eikadistes March 29, 2026 at 10:12 PM

TauPhi March 29, 2026 at 8:04 PM

Cassius March 29, 2026 at 7:22 PM

Eikadistes March 29, 2026 at 6:08 PM

Cassius March 29, 2026 at 4:27 PM

Cassius March 29, 2026 at 3:22 PM

Cassius March 29, 2026 at 12:19 PM

Kalosyni March 29, 2026 at 10:16 AM

Cassius March 28, 2026 at 10:29 AM

Don March 28, 2026 at 7:01 AM

Eikadistes March 28, 2026 at 4:57 AM

Don March 27, 2026 at 10:42 PM

Eikadistes March 27, 2026 at 6:12 PM

Cassius March 27, 2026 at 4:58 PM

Cassius March 27, 2026 at 4:35 PM

Kalosyni March 27, 2026 at 3:37 PM

DaveT March 27, 2026 at 3:35 PM

Cassius March 27, 2026 at 12:43 PM

DaveT March 27, 2026 at 12:09 PM

Eikadistes March 27, 2026 at 8:49 AM

Kalosyni March 27, 2026 at 7:36 AM

Kalosyni March 27, 2026 at 7:28 AM

wbernys March 27, 2026 at 2:08 AM

Martin March 27, 2026 at 1:42 AM

Godfrey March 26, 2026 at 10:58 PM

Eikadistes March 26, 2026 at 8:16 PM

Eikadistes March 26, 2026 at 8:13 PM

Cassius March 26, 2026 at 5:04 PM

DaveT March 26, 2026 at 3:17 PM

Cassius March 26, 2026 at 1:57 PM

Cassius March 26, 2026 at 1:52 PM

j.tycherne March 26, 2026 at 11:21 AM

Cassius March 26, 2026 at 11:17 AM

DaveT March 26, 2026 at 11:13 AM

Cassius March 26, 2026 at 11:03 AM

Cassius March 26, 2026 at 10:48 AM

Cassius March 26, 2026 at 10:39 AM

Cassius March 26, 2026 at 10:20 AM

Cassius March 26, 2026 at 9:54 AM

Summary of Main Arguments and Highlights

1. Core Thesis: Epicureanism is Not Fully Reductionist

Cassius March 26, 2026 at 9:32 AM

Cassius March 26, 2026 at 9:27 AM

Cassius March 26, 2026 at 9:13 AM

Cassius March 26, 2026 at 7:02 AM

Atomic Size (μέγεθος) in the Letter to

Cassius March 26, 2026 at 6:58 AM

Atomic Weight (βάρος) in Epicurean

Cassius March 26, 2026 at 6:43 AM

Cassius March 26, 2026 at 6:40 AM

Cassius March 26, 2026 at 5:57 AM

Cassius March 25, 2026 at 7:37 PM

Cassius March 25, 2026 at 7:37 PM

Cassius March 25, 2026 at 7:24 PM

News And Announcements

Updating Of EpicurusToday.com 8

Finding Things At EpicureanFriends.com

Here is a list of suggested search strategies: