cierra coan. founded the philosophy epicureanism he led a life of sobriety and simplicity ...
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EPICUREANISMCierra Coan
EPICURUS Founded the
philosophy Epicureanism
He led a life of sobriety and simplicity
Grounded in the atomic theory of Democritus All things are made of
atoms that are indivisible Not interested in science
but in finding out about the in good life
EPICURUS Founded his
school- The Garden- in Athens in the art of reason
Showed no interest in politics and the community
Garden is like a present day commune “Live in seclusion!”
BELIEF Pleasure is the end to life Epicurus’ definition of pleasure is negative
His belief was the absences of pain in life No act should be undertaken except for
when pleasure is the result No act should be rejected except for the pain
that it could produce Epicurus put great stress
on friendship because one’s own pleasure is dependent on others as well
Emphasized that pleasurable actions must be weighted with side effects
WEIGHING THE PLEASURE Take all your money and buy all the
chocolate you want
Eat all the chocolate in one sitting
WEIGHING THE PLEASURES Wait a half and hour and see how you
feel
This is weighing pleasure with its side effects
SHORT TERM TO LONG TERM Also emphasized weighing short term
pleasure to possible greater, more lasting, or more intense pleasure in the long run
Instead of buying chocolate save more money for something better
SHORT TERM TO LONG TERM Like a ticket to
Chocolate good but Lady Gaga better
TWO DESIRES
Natural desires Vain desires
Necessary – food and sleep
Unnecessary- sex
Decorative clothing or exotic food
NATURAL Necessary MUST be satisfied and
usually easy to satisfy The desire for sex is natural but
usually can be overcomeWhen it can it should be overcome
because the satisfaction of sexual drive gives intense pleasure And all the intense emotional states are
dangerousAlso desire for sex puts people in
relationships that end with more pain than pleasure
VAIN Do not need to be satisfied and usually not easy to satisfy
Since there is no natural limit to them they tend to become obsessive and lead to very painful consequences
REPOSE Epicurus emphasized desire for repose
Repose- temporary rest from activity, excitement, or exertion
Both physically and psychically1. Persons having overcome all
unnecessary desires2. Gratifies necessary desires in the
most moderate way possible 3. Leaves plenty of time for physical and
mental repose
Always free from worry
FEAR OF DEATH Trouble with the teaching that pleasure is the
absence of pain. It can be taken to the logical extremity Absence of life is better than any life at all
This deduction is ironic because Epicurus claimed philosophy dispelled fear of death
Believe death was merely the absence of sensation and consciousness of death “So long as we exist, death is not with us; but when
death comes, then we do not exist” Believe in the theory of “soul atoms”
Didn’t believe in life after death because when we die, the “soul atoms” disperse in all directions
FEAR OF THE GODS Fear of gods brought many people to the
gardenAtom theory of Democritus was useful in curing
religious superstitions Epicurus had little patience with religion,
which he considered a form of ignoranceeager to help people loose their fear of the
gods He did say that the gods existed, although
they lived far away in space somewhere and had little or nothing to do with people on earthAtheism was still illegal in Athens
FOUR MEDICAL HERBS
1. The gods are not to be feared
2. Death is nothing to worry about
3. Good is easy to attain4. The fearful is easy to
endure
AFTER EPICURUS Though it didn’t
become a major philosophy it was around for many centuries
Famous follower was Lucretius Wrote long poem –
On the Nature of Things- expounding the philosophy of Epicurus
NEGATIVE REACTIONS Epicureanism is considered by many to
be for gluttonous and lazy peopleThis is all because of the Roman followers
took his philosophy to the extreme Because of this Epicureanism is
associated with sensualistic hedonism Excessive devotion to sensual pleasure
Epicurean is used in the negative sense nowadays to describe someone who lives only for pleasure