An introduction to Epicurean Philosophy

Introduction

Epicureanism is a Hellenistic philosophy which states that the greatest good in life is pleasure and the greatest evil is pain, it's founder was a man named Epicurus. Epicurus was an atomist, he believed everything was made up of atoms moving through empty space and that everything which occurs is a result of atoms bouncing off one another. This may strike many of you as remarkably like modern science and while yes, it is remarkable it is important to note that Epicurus didn't have some futuristic knowledge and I am not claiming he did, it wasn't as complex as modern physics and it had no real proof behind it. Many modern Epicureans have updated into modern times because unlike other Hellenistic philosophies which are awakening in the 21st century the physics does matter. 

Epicurean Hedonism

Epicurus was a hedonist, many people don't agree he was but he stated himself that "pleasure is the chief good and pain the chief evil", Hedonism in philosophy is defined as:

"the ethical theory that pleasure (in the sense of the satisfaction of desires) is the highest good and proper aim of human life." 

However, this doesn't mean that Epicurus was debauched or a beast only seeking to maximize his pleasure at any cost, in his own words:

“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. “

“WHAT?! You’re telling me this fella thought pleasure was the sole good but still had these rules about justice and honour?”

Yes, that’s exactly it, but don’t get it twisted his not promoting justice and courage to “virtue signal” or for religious reasons, Epicurus values everything based on either pleasure or pain, including these virtues, justice and honour means that you harm no one and in turn (hopefully) no one harms you so that you can pursue happiness without anyone harming you. It’s all practical and focused toward the end goal of humans, pleasure.

Friendship

 

Friendship is a key part of securing happiness and pleasure in life for an Epicurean, a true friend for an Epicurean is someone in which no secrets are kept, you feel fully at ease with her and the mutual pleasure felt from one another is constant. To make my previous point clearer, why does Epicurus value friendship so much? Well he asks himself “Does this cause pleasure or pain” and of course, it is clear to anyone who has had a good friend (which I am blessed to have) friendship is a great pleasure.

Individualism

Epicurean philosophy gives us some advice on how to live life but ultimately (and what was most attractive for me) is that it is an individual philosophy in the sense that everyone will have different things that bring them pleasure. For me it’s talking to friends, reading, playing video games, spending times with my dog and discussion issues. For you it might be GAA, working out, food, being a parent etc… It is personal preference.

Conclusion

Epicurean philosophy is for the masses, it puts happiness and pleasure as the goal of life and in a world which is so anti-pleasure I believe it is necessary for this (and other) Hellenistic philosophies to come back into the limelight.

Here are some links to other Epicurean sites A good forum still in the process of starting up  A great website with many posts going in depth about issues surrounding Epicurean Philosophy and Where there is the most discussion