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Recent Activities
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wbernys
August 2, 2026 at 8:25 PM Posted the thread Desires necessary for Happiness..ThreadIn the Letter to Menoceus, Epicurus says "of the necessary desires some are necessary if we are to be happy, some if the body is to be rid of uneasiness, some if we are even to live. (Hicks). Ironically, despite Happiness being the first one listed, most… -
Cassius
PostAugust 2, 2026 at 5:56 PM THe only record of Hiernymous of Rhodes is what Cicero says about him as explained in our earlier thread (note from 2019) with the citations. Hieronymus of Rhodes embraced "absence of pain" but not pleasure, as Cicero explains.
They support the point… -
DaveT
PostAugust 2, 2026 at 4:42 PM […]
Sorry, I'm not following the statements in each paragraph. Am I missing the trees for the forest? Do you have citations of the Hieronymus of Rhodes reference? Are you disputing his wording or the concept, which I don't think you are disputing the… -
Kalosyni
August 2, 2026 at 2:33 PM Replied to the thread "Meet-and-Greet" Zoom- August 3rd, 8pm ET & August 9th, 12:30pm ET, 2026.PostI've sent out the Zoom link by private conversation for the Monday Aug. 3rd, 8pm ET Zoom, so look for that in your "conversations" section of the forum. Any others wishing to join, go ahead and RSVP by posting here in this thread (or messaging Cassius),… -
Patrikios
PostAugust 2, 2026 at 12:20 PM […]
As long as the "fundamentalist Epicurean" platform still includes "how Epicurean philosophy can apply to you today", then it serves Epicurus' goal to heal the mind. -
Cassius
August 2, 2026 at 9:32 AM Replied to the thread Episode 345 - EATAQ27 - Not Yet Recorded.Post -
Cassius
August 2, 2026 at 8:07 AM Replied to the thread Epicurus And Homer's Odyssey.PostInteresting to see a Chinese take on Nolan's version of the Odysee, including how Nolan states that modern filmmakers need to apologize for greatness, and his statements about gods at the end:
youtube.com/watch?v=wa4I8Ch2TRo -
Kalosyni
August 1, 2026 at 6:42 PM Replied to the thread "Meet-and-Greet" Zoom- August 3rd, 8pm ET & August 9th, 12:30pm ET, 2026.PostThank you Aristos ...we'll be sending out the link the day before the meeting. -
Aristos
August 1, 2026 at 3:43 PM Replied to the thread "Meet-and-Greet" Zoom- August 3rd, 8pm ET & August 9th, 12:30pm ET, 2026.PostSunday (9th) works for me, see you then 🤝 -
Cassius
August 1, 2026 at 3:40 PM Posted the thread Episode 345 - EATAQ27 - Not Yet Recorded.ThreadWelcome to Episode 345 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
August 1, 2026 at 3:16 PM Replied to the thread Opening Discussion of Kelly Arenson's "Health And Hedonism In Plato And Epicurus".PostI am posting this link to a new "blog" post I have just completed because it deals directly with the issues raised by Arenson in her book.
epicureanfriends.com/wcf/blog/entry/86/ -
Cassius
August 1, 2026 at 3:15 PM Wrote the blog article The 'Academic Questions' Behind Evaluation Of Pleasure And Happiness.Blog Article"Academic Questions" sounds like exactly what a modern reader expects from ancient philosophy: a dry, technical argument about definitions, conducted by men with nothing better to do, over a question no one outside a classics department has any reason to… -
Patrikios
August 1, 2026 at 8:40 AM Posted the thread Happiness Happens Month.ThreadAug. 1, 2026 is the beginning of National Happiness Happens month.
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Cassius
August 1, 2026 at 4:49 AM Replied to the thread Opening Discussion of Kelly Arenson's "Health And Hedonism In Plato And Epicurus".Post[…]
They are the guide to the best life, because pleasure is the word we choose to use to describe all that is intrinsically desirable.
Yes this is a word game, and if you want to argue that the goal should be set as "virtue" or "being like god" you can… -
Matteng
August 1, 2026 at 1:24 AM Replied to the thread Opening Discussion of Kelly Arenson's "Health And Hedonism In Plato And Epicurus".Post[…]
Good point.
Pleasure/Pain guide to what ? -
Cassius
July 31, 2026 at 6:17 PM Replied to the thread Opening Discussion of Kelly Arenson's "Health And Hedonism In Plato And Epicurus".PostI have another analogy that I think applies.
Today a friend sent me the linked video because he was so impressed how it went through the Bible and asked a series of questions that calls the Bible into question. 109 Questions For God
I think the video is… -
Godfrey
July 31, 2026 at 5:59 PM Replied to the thread Opening Discussion of Kelly Arenson's "Health And Hedonism In Plato And Epicurus".Post -
Cassius
July 31, 2026 at 4:41 PM Replied to the thread Opening Discussion of Kelly Arenson's "Health And Hedonism In Plato And Epicurus".Post[…]
OMG.
Don, you and I and Joshua and many others here have done a creditable job and I'm not going to apologize for what we've done, because I think we're on the right track.
But what little we've done to comment on Philebus and Plato has been woefully… -
Don
July 31, 2026 at 3:19 PM Replied to the thread Hermarchus project.Post -
Don
July 31, 2026 at 2:32 PM Replied to the thread Opening Discussion of Kelly Arenson's "Health And Hedonism In Plato And Epicurus".PostI'm getting it via interlibrary loan soon. -
Cassius
July 31, 2026 at 12:39 PM Replied to the thread Hermarchus project.Post -
Cassius
July 31, 2026 at 12:39 PM Added the file Life And Works Of Hermarchus of Mytilene.FileHere are some details about Hermarchus project (the methodology was very similar to the Metrodorus project):
The attached PDF contains 31 fragments related to Hermarchus' life and works. The document includes both ancient testimonia and extant fragments.… -
Cassius
July 31, 2026 at 12:25 PM Replied to the thread Opening Discussion of Kelly Arenson's "Health And Hedonism In Plato And Epicurus".PostI have spent the morning listening to the first two chapters of the Arenson book, which is focused on what is said about Pleasure in the Republic and Philebus .
The whole structure of holding being to be better than becoming and the need to discuss… -
Kalosyni
PostJuly 31, 2026 at 12:25 PM […]
Here is something from a modern practical perspective, a very good YouTube video by a psychologist who gives very good advice, with regard to interacting with strangers, and which over time can lead to friendships in community, clubs etc.
Posting this… -
Kalosyni
July 31, 2026 at 12:02 PM Replied to the thread Importance of Cultivating Friendships and Further Advice.PostHere is another good one, on social curiosity and asking questions:
m.youtube.com/watch?v=ccAXevEm0AE -
Kalosyni
July 31, 2026 at 11:37 AM Replied to the thread Importance of Cultivating Friendships and Further Advice.PostI just found this Youtube video on building communication skills, and he's got some interesting tips on moving from surface level to one layer deeper when endeavoring to make new friendships:
m.youtube.com/watch?v=A25HHOtMp2U -
TauPhi
July 31, 2026 at 11:13 AM Posted the thread Hermarchus project.ThreadThis is the second installment of the Co-founders of the Garden project. Unfortunately, it is also the last one since there's not enough transmitted material about Polyaenus of Lampsacus to create a similar compilation about him.
Here are some details… -
Kalosyni
PostJuly 31, 2026 at 7:14 AM This may be a cause for marriage difficulties, and yet the article also suggests that over time people can work to improve their attachment styles:
Article from Yahoo Life: WashingtonPost:
… -
Cassius
July 31, 2026 at 6:57 AM Replied to the thread Opening Discussion of Kelly Arenson's "Health And Hedonism In Plato And Epicurus".Post[…]
It is very interesting to see how individual people either deal with or refuse to deal with hypotheticals. It's certainly very important to evaluate whether the hypothetical is possible in reality or not.
But the purpose of a logical possibility is to… -
Martin
July 31, 2026 at 6:51 AM Replied to the thread "Meet-and-Greet" Zoom- August 3rd, 8pm ET & August 9th, 12:30pm ET, 2026.PostI will join, too. -
Cassius
July 31, 2026 at 6:18 AM Replied to the thread Welcome Morgan!.PostThanks for that update Morgan! -
Morgan
July 31, 2026 at 5:08 AM Replied to the thread Welcome Morgan!.PostThanks to all for the warm welcome...it's a remarkable thing to find a 'Garden in the sky' so to speak, and makes me wonder, as I'm sure you've all done before me, what Epicurus' online presence might have been like...
So, rereading my own posts I find… -
Kalosyni
July 30, 2026 at 6:20 PM Replied to the thread "Meet-and-Greet" Zoom- August 3rd, 8pm ET & August 9th, 12:30pm ET, 2026.Post -
TauPhi
July 30, 2026 at 4:30 PM Replied to the thread "Meet-and-Greet" Zoom- August 3rd, 8pm ET & August 9th, 12:30pm ET, 2026.PostCount me in for the Monday one, please. -
Matteng
July 30, 2026 at 4:28 PM Replied to the thread Opening Discussion of Kelly Arenson's "Health And Hedonism In Plato And Epicurus".PostToday I also thought about this connection.
I do sport to maintain a healthy body. Why do I want a healthy body? To function? To satisfy my needs? To live... ultimately for pleasure, that is the intrinsic good.
Yes.
But would I take a shortcut if I could?… -
Cassius
PostJuly 30, 2026 at 3:10 PM […]
It is a shame that i could hit only one reaction. I hit like but I would have liked to LOL at the stame time.
[…]
Yes that's basically it.
Don is an invaluable member of the forum and his absence absolutely has been noticed.
I've said a lot about the… -
Kalosyni
PostJuly 30, 2026 at 1:44 PM […]
I noticed...glad you are back posting.
[…]
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Pacatus
July 30, 2026 at 11:52 AM Replied to the thread "Healthy Hedonism - Why Feeling Good Is Good For You" - Book By Erica Oberg.Post -
Don
July 30, 2026 at 11:33 AM Replied to the thread Heads up: New Book Coming in 2027.PostI thought it might be helpful to see what the author has said about Epicurus' philosophy:
youtu.be/-f9rPFNzGZw?is=y7Rq0SOSm4XpAMNo
youtu.be/1_O4ii6WH4A?is=f_TvuYPG-R8b2Mz7
https://bigthink.com/thinking/epicu…ists-happiness/
… -
Robert
July 29, 2026 at 11:37 PM Replied to the thread "Healthy Hedonism - Why Feeling Good Is Good For You" - Book By Erica Oberg.Post[…]
This is expressed beautifully. However long it took, at least you realized these things. I get the sense that some people never do. It's only recently that I've started to see things this way myself. -
Robert
July 29, 2026 at 11:32 PM Replied to the thread "Healthy Hedonism - Why Feeling Good Is Good For You" - Book By Erica Oberg.PostGodfrey I'm not sure we've interacted on the forum before, so hi! I enjoyed reading this and feel it could be quite benefical in terms of encouraging people to think along Epicurean lines. Most importantly, it helps dispel the stigma around the word… -
Kalosyni
July 29, 2026 at 5:26 PM Replied to the thread Heads up: New Book Coming in 2027.PostOh...and I clicked on the link for the book and see that the cover has a little hermit crab on it... that's a "bad omen"! -
Kalosyni
July 29, 2026 at 4:51 PM Replied to the thread Heads up: New Book Coming in 2027.PostThanks, Don ...at first glance it looks intriguing, though it's a fairly vague general description. Perhaps it is written for middle age folks who really do "have it all" but for some reason still feel unhappy. We have VS68 which touches on the idea… -
Cassius
July 29, 2026 at 4:47 PM Replied to the thread Episode 344 - EATAQ26 - What Is Our Mind's Role In Determining Truth?.PostEpisode 344 of the Lucretius Today Podcast is now available. This week our episode is entitled: "What Is Our Mind's Role In Determining Truth?"
[media]https://www.spreaker.com/episode/73244430/media -
Cassius
July 29, 2026 at 2:45 PM Replied to the thread Episode 344 - EATAQ26 - What Is Our Mind's Role In Determining Truth?.PostThis episode will be up later today - in the meantime as a note to myself and Joshua, we discuss in this one that the Stoic position is that some perceptions are so clear that they cannot be denied -- and yet the stoics are talking about "assent" to the… -
Don
July 29, 2026 at 8:29 AM Posted the thread Heads up: New Book Coming in 2027.Threadhttps://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250454256/theartofenough/
The Art of Enough: The Ancient Epicurean Philosophy of Finding and Keeping Happiness
Author: Jonny Thomson
Book Details
A modern-day guide to the ancient philosophy of Epicureanism, celebrating a… -
Kalosyni
July 29, 2026 at 8:11 AM Replied to the thread "Meet-and-Greet" Zoom- August 3rd, 8pm ET & August 9th, 12:30pm ET, 2026.Post
Hi Everyone! We are now offering two new Zoom opportunities for new members (both Level 1 & Level 2) to come join us for a "meet-and-greet"! This also provides time for asking questions about the forum and Epicurean philosophy.
Level 3 established…
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