Epicurus

I have been asked before about my philosophical influences and there are many, however the greatest of philosophers in my estimation is Epicurus, I have always tried to live according to Epicurian philosophy even before I knew what it was. The pursuit of justice and simple pleasures, security and freedom from pain as a natural good, the trust that knowledge can be gained through the senses, the realization that we need not fear death, these are all truths upon which I have based my life. The more I have read of Epicurus the more I have adopted it in my life.

While Epicurus is often associated with eating, and drinking and other pleasures, Epicurus was not completely a hedonist, to the contrary he believed that since fulfilling desire led to happiness and not doing so led to suffering then there were two strategies to follow either fulfill desires or eliminate them. He preferred the latter. It was his contention that desire should be pared down to a minimum that can be easily fulfilled. So yes good food and drink and other simple pleasures are very much in line with Epicurian philosophy, greed for these things is not. Any desire which becomes burdensome to fulfill needs to be eliminated. This is actually very similar to the second truth of Buddhism and Epicurus in some ways reflected a Buddhist like asceticism. It is of course pleasant to enjoy luxuries when available but to be come dependent or accustomed to such things leads to suffering when they can not be had and therefore that is to be avoided.

Epicurus also believed that happiness depended on having many virtues courage, moderation, knowledge, justice. However unlike other philosophers he saw these things as a means to an end rather than an end in and of themselves. They are valuable for the happiness that they help create and maintain. Even knowledge is seen as a means to an end, science is useful so that we can explain natural phenomena and eliminate the fear of gods, and philosophy is useful to dispel the fear of death.

Justice and friendship are also key to Epicurian philosophy, Epicurus is the first philosopher to give a well developed contractual definition of justice. At it's essence justice can be described as an agreement to not harm or be harmed. All laws should proceed from that basis. This lines up perfectly with my Libertarian ideas of the role of law. Epicurus deviates from pure utilitarianism regarding friendship proclaiming that a wise man would be willing to die for a friend. However in general his attitude is still that friendship is valuable because it is among the best ways to gain happiness.

Epicurus also reflects well upon my view of death, one shared by many atheists. He sums up the insignificance of death in the following ways.

1. Death is annihilation.
2. The living have not yet been annihilated (otherwise they wouldn't be alive).
3. Death does not affect the living. (from 1 and 2)
4. So, death is not bad for the living. (from 3)
5. For something to be bad for somebody, that person has to exist, at least.
6. The dead do not exist. (from 1)
7. Therefore, death is not bad for the dead. (from 5 and 6)
8. Therefore death is bad for neither the living nor the dead. (from 4 and 7)

He also said:
Anyone who fears death should consider the time before he was born. The past infinity of pre-natal non-existence is like the future infinity of post-mortem non-existence; it is as though nature has put up a mirror to let us see what our future non-existence will be like. But we do not consider not having existed for an eternity before our births to be a terrible thing; therefore, neither should we think not existing for an eternity after our deaths to be evil.

He regarded the fear of death and the fear of gods to be the greatest obstacles to happiness. This is also the position taken by many modern atheists.

Below I have included a number of quotes from Epicurus, this is hardly a complete representation of his work but it is a good sampling and will hopefully whet your appetite for further study of this great philosopher.

The greater the difficulty, the more the glory in surmounting it.
Epicurus

A free life cannot acquire many possessions, because this is not easy to do without servility to mobs or monarchs.
Epicurus

Death does not concern us, because as long as we exist, death is not here. And when it does come, we no longer exist.
Epicurus

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.
Epicurus

I have never wished to cater to the crowd; for what I know they do not approve, and what they approve I do not know.
Epicurus

I never desired to please the rabble. What pleased them, I did not learn; and what I knew was far removed from their understanding.
Epicurus

I would rather be first in a little Iberian village than second in Rome.
Epicurus

If God listened to the prayers of men, all men would quickly have perished: for they are forever praying for evil against one another.
Epicurus

If thou wilt make a man happy, add not unto his riches but take away from his desires.
Epicurus

It is better for you to be free of fear lying upon a pallet, than to have a golden couch and a rich table and be full of trouble.
Epicurus

It is folly for a man to pray to the gods for that which he has the power to obtain by himself.
Epicurus

It is impossible to live a pleasant life without living wisely and well and justly. And it is impossible to live wisely and well and justly without living a pleasant life.
Epicurus

It is not so much our friends' help that helps us, as the confidence of their help.
Epicurus

It is possible to provide security against other ills, but as far as death is concerned, we men live in a city without walls.
Epicurus

Justice... is a kind of compact not to harm or be harmed.
Epicurus

Misfortune seldom intrudes upon the wise man; his greatest and highest interests are directed by reason throughout the course of life.
Epicurus

Not what we have But what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance.
Epicurus

Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little.
Epicurus

Of all the things which wisdom provides to make us entirely happy, much the greatest is the possession of friendship.
Epicurus


Riches do not exhilarate us so much with their possession as they torment us with their loss.
Epicurus