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Eikadistes
April 2, 2026 at 10:52 PM Replied to the thread Epicurus vs Kant and Modern Idealism - Introduction.PostIn his introduction to Critique of Pure Reason, Kant writes:
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I think he agreed that the world of senses, by itself, is "too narrow", but at the same time, Kant heavily criticizes Plátōn for the same reasons that he criticizes the pure rationalism of… -
DaveT
April 2, 2026 at 9:20 PM Replied to the thread Discussion of Blog Article - "Reality Does Not Require Being Eternally The Same".Post[…]
Speaking as an Epicurean friend, I think you missed my point. I was not talking about those he was struggling against for contemporary dominance. I was referring to the progress of philosophy depending on the prior generations of great thinkers. And… -
Cassius
April 2, 2026 at 9:13 PM Replied to the thread Discussion of Blog Article - "Reality Does Not Require Being Eternally The Same".Post[…]
I clipped a number of statements to comment on but probably this one was all that is necessary. Whether we talk about "knowledge" or "truth" or "reality" or any other similar word, the issue is whether we can ever have confidence that our major… -
Cassius
April 2, 2026 at 8:37 PM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.Post[…]
This is a good conversation. I'm pressed for time in writing but just to note quickly:
1 - I completely agree with concerns about not trying to convert "the masses." It always pays to know who you're talking to and not intrude on others who clearly… -
TauPhi
April 2, 2026 at 7:21 PM Replied to the thread Discussion of Blog Article - "Reality Does Not Require Being Eternally The Same".Post -
wbernys
April 2, 2026 at 7:05 PM Has received the trophy Frequent Posters.TrophyRecognition of Members Who Have Contributed More Than Thirty Posts On The Forum -
wbernys
April 2, 2026 at 7:03 PM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.PostGreat collection of qoutes Eikadistes !
I feel like the main focus right now should be on actually connecting personal relationships. I'm really trying to convert my father into really liking Epicurean philosophy as a great remedy which fills you with… -
Eikadistes
April 2, 2026 at 6:19 PM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.PostThis discussion brings a few quotes to mind that provide some nuance.
We're certainly cautioned against explicit proselytization as a matter of practicality:
- "Never did I reach to please the masses, for truly what pleases them, I did not understand, but… -
Cassius
April 2, 2026 at 4:43 PM Replied to the thread Discussion of Blog Article - "Reality Does Not Require Being Eternally The Same".Post[…]
I think Epicurus would say that he has 'proven' that the universe as a whole is eternal and infinite in size and there is nothing "outside" of it. Now obviously that's a different definition than saying "I've been there and seen it and you can rely… -
DaveT
April 2, 2026 at 4:40 PM Replied to the thread Discussion of Blog Article - "Reality Does Not Require Being Eternally The Same".Post[…]
I find that surprising in my limited knowledge of forum participants. You of course must have the data to support your comment. Also, I'm at a loss over your statement, "we're not catering to those who live for the exhilaration that they apparently… -
DaveT
April 2, 2026 at 4:32 PM Replied to the thread Discussion of Blog Article - "Reality Does Not Require Being Eternally The Same".PostFor conversation's sake: What philosopher actually proves anything? We've probably dealt with that issue often enough, but my devilish sense of humor drove me to ask it again.
But seriously, imagine for a moment, Epicurus and Kant, and, I don't know,… -
wbernys
April 2, 2026 at 2:10 PM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.Post[…]
I am perhaps less pessimistic than you on this Don , Emily Austin pointed out that philosophers at a convention felt no one could even defend Epicureanism (it's why she write the book and it went on to be the most popular in the series bu far)
We… -
Cassius
April 2, 2026 at 2:10 PM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.PostThanks Martin will fix! -
Martin
April 2, 2026 at 1:52 PM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.Post[…]
should be "just like Lucretius and Diogenes of Oinoanda and many others let the size of the job not stop them from what they accomplished". -
Cassius
April 2, 2026 at 1:25 PM Replied to the thread Discussion of Blog Article - "Reality Does Not Require Being Eternally The Same".PostDaveT another example of my personal priority of where to spend time:
(1) I think we need very clear lists and charts and descriptions of the most basic of Epicurean canonical, physical, and ethical positions. That's what I've been working on for… -
Cassius
April 2, 2026 at 11:35 AM Replied to the thread Discussion of Blog Article - "Reality Does Not Require Being Eternally The Same".Post[…]
I definitely think it can be done, and that it would be helpful to do exactly that.
Differences can be sharpened in an unbiased unemotional way. Once we have a sharp view of the differences, then we can pretty easily find the line where we cross into… -
DaveT
April 2, 2026 at 9:56 AM Replied to the thread Discussion of Blog Article - "Reality Does Not Require Being Eternally The Same".PostI would like to see one aspect of this discussion of Epicurean vs Kantian perspectives in this or another thread on the forum.
I know comparatively little about Epicurus and less about Kant. However, I sense that the current distinctions between the… -
DaveT
April 2, 2026 at 9:24 AM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.Post -
Cassius
April 2, 2026 at 7:34 AM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.PostOk there's a lot to address there but here's at least a start:
All of the facts you've cited about current levels of penetration into the wider culture are very true from my perspective as well.
But I don't see those facts as the starting point of the… -
Cassius
April 2, 2026 at 7:00 AM Replied to the thread Discussion of Blog Article - "Reality Does Not Require Being Eternally The Same".Post[…]
So "knowledge is the truth about how things actually are is unfounded"
is a "metaphysical claim" which is "unfounded."
And as science advances still "there is no superior knowledge from where we could justify that thought."
That certainly sounds to me… -
Martin
April 2, 2026 at 6:08 AM Replied to the thread Discussion of Blog Article - "Reality Does Not Require Being Eternally The Same".PostThose are incorrect. Whereas Plato's school apparently degenerated into plain skepticism, Kant's version of idealism was not that skeptic. Within Kant's epistemology, certainty with respect to knowledge about phenomena is possible but the metaphysical… -
Don
April 2, 2026 at 12:07 AM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.Post[…]
Ditto! Eikadistes has definitely earned ΚΥΔΟΣ ! Additionally Cassius has also earned respect for creating this little virtual Garden on the Internet without which I guarantee I would not have stuck with Epicurean philosophy as long as I have.
That… -
Cassius
April 1, 2026 at 4:17 PM Replied to the thread Discussion of Blog Article - "Reality Does Not Require Being Eternally The Same".PostThanks Martin. I'll take a look at that aspect as I get time. I suspect in the end the issue might be summarized as "Kant rejected dogmatism and Epicurus embraced dogmatism."
Obviously to drill down into that the word "dogmatism" would have to be… -
Cassius
April 1, 2026 at 2:54 PM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.Post[…]
I want to add into this thread as an aside that I have tremendous respect for the effort that Eikadistes has put into Epicurean philosophy over the years. Not only that, but he's younger than most of the rest of us here and he's having to live through… -
Cassius
April 1, 2026 at 12:53 PM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.Post[…]
As some say but I am saying without any sarcasm to you, as the phrase goes, "hope is not a strategy."
I think you're absolutely right to be concerned about that. It seems to me very very likely to happen, so we have to fight against it with every tool… -
Martin
April 1, 2026 at 11:38 AM Replied to the thread Discussion of Blog Article - "Reality Does Not Require Being Eternally The Same".PostIt is exactly that sentence ("On one side stands a tradition stretching from Plato...") which is false because Kant rejected dogmatism and did not reject the senses. In Kant's view, we know about the world through the senses. His epistemology examines… -
Eikadistes
April 1, 2026 at 11:29 AM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.PostI deleted my LinkedIn account a few weeks ago.
(Quick side-note, AI killed my industry a few month ago, so I'm trying to get into technical writing).
The last activity I registered on LinkedIn was a comment thread about the ethics of using AI in… -
Cassius
April 1, 2026 at 10:58 AM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.Post[…]
Great question. Ultimately nothing that I could not have done alone given enough time and effort. But it is an exponential force multiplier that allows things to be possible in reasonable time and effort which would not have been possible without… -
DaveT
April 1, 2026 at 10:48 AM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.Post -
Don
April 1, 2026 at 10:31 AM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.Post[…]
Your scenario is still just positing an imitation of a Beatles song, and the "musician" didn't create it. The algorithm did, admittedly using a training data set of Epicurean texts, I suppose. Is it really Epicurus' "genuine teaching" if it's an… -
Don
April 1, 2026 at 9:54 AM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.Post[…]
Okay, so with that context, what's the selling point of generative AI over just creating content the "old fashioned" way and putting it out there?
Using your articles specifically, what did the generative AI application give you that you couldn't have… -
Cassius
April 1, 2026 at 9:49 AM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.PostAnother specific hypothetical:
Suppose a human in 1965 who is creative but not a musician decides that he can use AI to produce a song that is as beautiful and catchy as anything produced by the Beatles, and also specifically brings to the listeners'… -
Cassius
April 1, 2026 at 9:37 AM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.Post[…]
Yes as I see it that is the test - the actual result. You would not want to turn loose generative AI without human supervision and without the ability for a human to override the Ai when it is wrong, as it often will be. I think that's pretty much… -
Don
April 1, 2026 at 9:09 AM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.Post[…]
And therein lies the rub. In my scenario of bots posting and responding algorithmically, there is no "actual community of living Epicureans." There may be unlimited "Epicurean" content online in this scenario, but there is no community, no real… -
Cassius
April 1, 2026 at 8:44 AM Replied to the thread Good and Bad Desire and Doubt In Epicurean Philosophy.PostPatrikios If I read you correctly I agree with your position.
There is a lot of ambiguity in both "natural" and "necessary" and I think it is very ill advised to be overly dogmatic (in the worst sense of the word) as to what activities or what desires go… -
Cassius
April 1, 2026 at 8:24 AM Replied to the thread Discussion of Blog Article - "Reality Does Not Require Being Eternally The Same".PostPlease use this thread for discussion of the merits of the article and suggestions for substantive changes. Posts originally made in this thread regarding the use of AI in the blog post are being moved to the thread below, which begins with this Admin… -
Cassius
April 1, 2026 at 8:14 AM Posted the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.ThreadADMIN NOTE BY CASSIUS -- I don't have the ability to create my own post so as to explain this thread so I am doing so in this ADMIN edit. I am moving all discussion of issues of the use of AI in two blog posts I generated in late March 2026 (of course… -
Cassius
April 1, 2026 at 8:11 AM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.Post[…]
I think this does a pretty good job of identifying the issues I am currently considering.
And it immediately evokes in my mind the hypothetical of the "experience machine" and the issues involved in PD10 .
The world is currently going through changes… -
Cassius
April 1, 2026 at 7:56 AM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.Post[…]
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Don
April 1, 2026 at 7:37 AM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.PostHmmm...
I understand the context of this AI component now a little better after reading this in the other article's thread:
RE: Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy This revelation on the use of AI to compose these articles does… -
Cassius
April 1, 2026 at 4:05 AM Replied to the thread Happy Birthday General Thread.PostHappy Birthday to Kappa! Learn more about Kappa and say happy birthday on Kappa's timeline: Kappa -
Cassius
March 31, 2026 at 9:29 PM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.PostAt the moment I don't have much more to say about the specifics of labeling, but I do want to share a recent conversation elsewhere which has greatly influenced my thinking on this subject. For those who don't follow the link here's the thumbnail:
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TauPhi
March 31, 2026 at 8:14 PM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.Post[…]
I still think the content of the article is very good. Nothing has changed and I have no criticism in this regard whatsoever.
I retract my praise for the article because I was misled to think you wrote it which is not entirely the case. As I said… -
Cassius
March 31, 2026 at 7:17 PM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.PostNote -- In order to appreciate the context of Tau Phi's post 14, this earlier post is essential context.
Tau Phi I will think you have adequately stated your position as to any AI in this thread here. If you have some substantive criticism of the article… -
TauPhi
March 31, 2026 at 6:34 PM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.PostUnfortunately, I have to retract my praise for this article as I found out it was AI assisted creation. Cassius , please add information about AI usage in your publications when AI is used. Signing such creations with your name only is misleading as… -
Patrikios
March 31, 2026 at 5:43 PM Replied to the thread Good and Bad Desire and Doubt In Epicurean Philosophy.Post[…]
Cassius
Here is likely one of the few points that we may not see the terminology and human biological processes in the same way. So, with great respect I question the blanket categorization implied by this statement.
When you use the term “sexual… -
Cassius
March 31, 2026 at 3:20 PM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.PostThank you Dave let me be clear as to the organization of the articles and address what some no doubt are wondering:
In these two articles I have taken my draft outline as well as prior articles I've written on these topics and input the mix to AI to help… -
DaveT
March 31, 2026 at 2:44 PM Replied to the thread Revisiting Issues of The Use of AI in Epicurean Philosophy.PostFirst off, this was such a well written piece in its structure, clarity and logic. I'm jealous of the style you have exhibited in constructing this as well as the recent review of Massimo Pigliuci's essay. This is really good writing. My only critical… -
Cassius
March 31, 2026 at 2:05 PM Replied to the thread Discussion of Blog Article - "Reality Does Not Require Being Eternally The Same".PostMartin it looks to me like I mention Kant once in the article, in a sentence that is focused on rejection of the senses:
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I don't see that sentence as significantly a problem for the article's credibility. Of all the murkiness that surrounds Kant his… -
Martin
March 31, 2026 at 12:45 PM Replied to the thread Discussion of Blog Article - "Reality Does Not Require Being Eternally The Same".PostIt should be made clear that the article is rather against Plato's idealism. Putting Kant in the same bucket as Plato is wrong because Kant removed the ideal forms and Plato's nonsense that reality is truthfully revealed only by the logic of philosophers…
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January 11, 2026 at 7:02 PM
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