Questions tagged [epicurus]
Questions related to the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus (341–270 BC), who founded a school of philosophy known as Epicureanism.
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Is the epicurean problem of evil, not so much a problem?
The epicurean problem of evil is a problem that makes it difficult to conclude the truth of a supernatural being that is onibenevolent and omnipotent.
If God is onibenevolent and omnipotent how does ...
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What is most important in life? [closed]
So my journey with philosophy has been a perilous one with exestential crisis after exestential crisis, but my latest one is a particularly gnarly one.
Naturally I have an epicurean view of death ( ...
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What are the main elements of Stoicism? [duplicate]
My question is this: What are the main elements of Stoicism?
As a secondary question, it would also be nice to know how Epicureanism compares to or contrasts with Stoicism.
Primary source material ...
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What is the difference between Nietzsche view on suffering and the Epicurean view on suffering?
Nietzsche on suffering
Here is a quote of Nietzsche, from Russell (History of Western Philosophy, Chapter 25 "Nietzsche"):
Nietzsche's ethic is not one of self-indulgence in any ordinary ...
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What is the distinction between Ancient Philosophy and Religion?
I'm currently reading Pierre Hadot book What is "Ancient Philosophy?" (Qu'est-ce que la philosophie antique?) and as I reach the third part of the book i can't stop thinking about, how ...
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Does Buddhist anatta present additional problems with the "no harm" thesis about death?
Does Buddhist anatta present additional problems with the "no harm" thesis about death?
I think Buddhists would agree that death can be good (an escape from some hellish existence) or bad (...
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Are Epicurean 'pleasures of mind' clearly stated as being of a unique or universal nature?
I read that Epicurean 'pleasures of body' are unique to each individual. i.e. each person experiences the "pleasures of the body" in a different way.
I wondered whether Epicurean 'pleasures ...
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What does Epicurus mean by "prudence"?
(Related)
Epicurus writes in Letter to Menoeceus:
For this reason prudence is a more precious thing even than the other virtues, for ad a life of pleasure which is not also a life of prudence, honor, ...
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Epicureans in Judea [closed]
Are there records of there being Epicureans in Judea of the 1st-3rd centuries CE or in surrounding territories? And if so, were there any notable ones among them?
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The joy of resolving a philosophical doubt
In his entry on Epicureanism in the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, David Sedley wrote:
"There are mental as well as bodily kinetic pleasures, for example, (perhaps) the 'joy' of resolving ...
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What are the reasons as to why many important ancient philosophers ascribed to stoicism whereas few ancient philosophers were epicurians?
It seems to me that there were relatively few prominent ancient (if not prominent at least with wikipedia entries with their names) philosophers that espoused Epicureanism while there were many ...
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Epicurus's claim that the mind is in the heart
I'm looking for a reference to back the claim made on SEP:
The mind, which is located at the heart, is a center that controls the other soul-parts as well as the body, and that receives and ...
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Modern Epicureanism
I heard people talking about Epicureanism on the radio this morning and it struck me that I am an Epicurean. Apparently it was a popular philosophy in the Ptolemaic era, as Greece and Rome coexisted ...
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Is it rationally possible to believe in a sensationless soul after death?
Epicurus's thoughts on death were:
-Death is the cessation of sensation
-Good and evil only make sense in terms of sensation
Therefore: Death is neither good nor evil
My (sort of related) question ...
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Is Epicureanism more like egoism or utilitarianism
Epicureans put a focus on pleasure, but it is unclear from any material I've seen whether this the goal is one's own pleasure, the pleasure of everyone equally, or some more complicated interaction.
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What are Epicurean Virtues?
Epicurus, Letter to Menoeceus, Live Wisely:
The greatest virtue and the basis for all virtues is prudence. Prudence, the art of practical wisdom, is something even more valuable than philosophy, ...
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Reasons to fear death
Epicurus said that fearing nonexistence is not only stupid, it even gets in the way of enjoying life. I agree with Epicurus and I am trying to stop fearing death by thinking about it logically. I now ...
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Theories of rationality/emotions which make Epicurus' death argument work?
I've read restatements of Epicurus' famous argument which attempt to prove that the fear of death is irrational (I don't know if Epicurus himself ever used a word like this. From what I've read, he ...
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Death and Epictetus
In the Enchiridion, Epictetus seems suggest that goodness and badness are not “in” the world. They are “in” our reactions.
For example he says that, “Death, for instance, is not terrible, else it ...
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Why does imagining absence at a funeral cause you to imagine being there?
Source: p 22, Chapter 4 entitled 'The Garden Path [line break] EPICURUS'A Little History of Philosophy (2011 ed; but Reprint ed, 2012 extant) by Nigel Warburton PhD in Philosophy (Cambridge)
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What use is the Principle of Plentitude?
I am having trouble wrapping my head around the principle of plentitude. It was explained to me thus: "Everything which could exist does exist".
What is the use of this untestable notion?
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The no harm thesis about death and comparativism
I was reading about the harm thesis and comparativism, when:
To decide whether a person's death is bad for that person, we must
compare her actual welfare level to the welfare level she would ...
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Epicurus categorization of natural desires
Usually, it is often believed that desires for food and sex are based on natural (biological) needs. Epicurus too call them "natural" but claims that the fulfillment of the desire for food is "...
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Confusing name-dropping --- Is Socrates known to have walked in a garden with his "pupils"?
Source: In an episode on education of the philosophical documentary The advantage of the doubt, which I displayed here (search for "documentary") for pedagogical consultation; Veerle Jochems (an ...
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How does the doctrine of substantial forms differ from atomism?
Liebniz was an early admirer of Epicurean atomism; but later devoted himself to the doctrine of substantial forms as outlined in his Monadology.
On the face of it, atoms are substantial forms - they ...
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Epicureanism and speed of light
I have heard that Epicurus stated that light has the speed of thought. What did he mean by this?
My hypothesis is he intended to say, in a way, that the speed of light is infinite. But then, why was ...
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What is the difference between Epicurean sense-perception and Qualia?
In the SEP, on its discussion of ancient theories of the soul, they say:
Epicurus is an atomist, and in accordance with his atomism he takes the soul, like everything else that there is except for ...
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Is Epicureanism a form of Hedonism?
Epicureanism can be argued to be a form of Hedonism, holding the belief that pleasure is the only source of what is intrinsically good. The distinction between the two, as Hedonism seeks to maximise ...
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Are Hellenistic schools of philosophy also therapeutic regimes?
Martha C. Nussbaum argues in The Therapy of Desire: Theory and Practice in Hellenistic Ethics that all three major Hellenistic schools (Epicureanism, Stoicism, Skeptics) shared a practical, ...
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Was Newtons corpuscular theory of light influenced by that of Democritus?
Democritus theory of perception hypothesised that eidola were atom-thin images of an object carried into the eye. Of course Newton was a prominent defender of a corpuscular theory of light, as first ...
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How does Democritus account for eidola in terms of his atomic theory, if in fact he does?
'Eidola' is the peeling away of images from an object that then enters the eye, in Democritus' theory of optics. However, given his atomic theory, it seems puzzling that he doesn't attempt to explain ...
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Sources for Epicurus and the history of medicine
I am researching the history of medical philosophy (nursing in particular). A professor recommended the writings of Epicurus. I cannot find any sources directly related to this relationship. The ...
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"I was not; I was; I am not; I do not care"
From Wikipedia's page on Epicurus:
He also believed (contra Aristotle) that death was not to be feared. When a man dies, he does not feel the pain of death because he no longer is and he therefore ...
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Did anyone in Zeno time, use the idea of discrete space/time to propose a solution to his paradoxes?
Zeno famously stated a number of paradoxes of space, time & motion to argue for parmenides unity & changelessness of being.
Infinite divisiblity of space & time seemed to be a commonly ...
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What are some criticisms of Epicurus' "death is nothing to us"?
Epicurus famously asserted that death should not be feared, with roughly the following argument:
When we die, we no longer exist;
Since we no longer exist, we can feel neither pain nor pleasure. ...
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what are the differences of existentialism to epicurianism?
Although not an expert, I do see many similarities on both these currents' focus on man himself, aboloshing all idols and taking control of his fate. Are there any real differences between these two ...
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Epicurus: the greatest thinker of all time? [closed]
I have read somewhere that Epicurus introduced (English author, I can provide the full details), among others:
A moral code of values of integrity, serenity and peaceful acceptance to life
Acceptance ...
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Why did Epicureanism become "the main opponent" of Stoicism?
I was reading about Epicureanism on Wikipedia, and there I saw that, apparently, Epicureanism was in conflict with Stoicism and Platonism. I then read up on those two philosophies, and well, they do ...
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What are some examples of individualism in ancient Greek philosophy?
When people speak about disrupting action, an action that often goes against the commonly accepted moral laws, the pople that comes to my mind are Nietzsche, D'Annunzio, Marinetti and the Italian ...
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Where can I find material on Epicureanism?
I'm looking for books by Epicurus, but I haven't been able to find any. Can anyone suggest one, or another reference book that deals with Epicureanism?
I don't have any context by which to judge ...
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Are there more modern schools that follow Epicurean philosophy?
As Wikipedia says in its article, Epicureanism in short means:
pleasure is the highest good, thus gain it through living virtuous life and expecting less.
Based on this definition, is there a ...
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What are the main points of criticism of the ancient Stoic school vis-a-vis the system of philosophy of the Epicureans?
What was the main criticism of the ancient Stoic school of philosophy with respect to the system of philosophy of the Epicureans?
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