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Classical Epicurean Philosophy for the Modern World and Beyond
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The Case for Epicurus

Champion of Truth and Pleasure, and the Case Against the Platonists, Aristotelians, Stoics, Skeptics, the Abrahamic Religions, Humanists and Buddhists

The Epicurean case against the Platonists, Aristotelians, Stoics, Skeptics, the Abrahamic religions, Humanists and Buddhists, each stated in the words of its own leading writers. Read it online chapter by chapter, or download it free.

Building Anew On Classical Epicurean Philosophy

Section titled “Building Anew On Classical Epicurean Philosophy”

Affirming An Entirely Natural Universe With No Supernatural Forces In Which We Only Live Once

”It was a man of Greece who first dared to raise his mortal eyes to stand up to religion and to the tightly-barred gates it had set on the doors of Nature. The stories of gods and thunderbolts did not stop him, but only spurred him on in mind and spirit to traverse the boundless universe. In victory he returned to us to relate what can be and what cannot. And so this man cast underfoot the false tales of religion, and by his victory we are raised to the skies.”

From the time of ancient Greece and Rome to today, Epicurus has inspired forward-thinking people from all walks of life. Epicurus taught that human happiness rests on a correct understanding of the nature of the universe. The fundamentals are simple: (1) The universe is entirely natural. Fate and supernatural gods or forces do not exist. (2) Our minds are as mortal as our bodies. We only live once, and when we die we forever cease to exist. (3) Pleasure and pain of mind and body are the guides given to us by Nature. There are no absolute rules of good and evil that apply to all people at all times and at all places. There are many implications of these fundamental views, but if you agree with Epicurus so far then you are in the right place.

Rejecting Radical Skepticism And Explaining How Confidence In Knowledge Is Possible

”If anyone thinks that he knows nothing, he cannot be sure that he knows this, when he confesses that he knows nothing at all. I shall avoid disputing with such a trifler, who perverts all things, and like a tumbler with his head prone to the earth, can go no otherwise than backwards. Not only must all reason give way, but life itself will fall to the ground, unless you choose to trust the senses and shun pitfalls and other such dangers that must be avoided. All that host of words which have been arrayed against the senses are empty nonsense.”

How do we know that Epicurus was right about nature, about death, about pleasure and pain, or about anything else? Epicurus laughed at those who teach that knowledge is impossible. Knowledge does not require that we know everything about everything. Knowledge comes through a proper use of the five senses, our ability to recognize patterns among the constant changes around us, and in our Nature-given feelings of Pleasure and Pain. Once we have those firmly in hand, we have all we need for living happily.

Identifying Happiness Based On Pleasure (Not “Tranquility” or “Total Absence of Pain”) As A Practical And Achievable Goal

“In this way Epicurus represents the wise man as continually happy: he keeps his passions within bounds; about death he is indifferent; he holds true views concerning the eternal gods apart from all dread; and he has no hesitation in crossing the boundary of life, if that be the better course. Furnished with these advantages, the wise man is continually in a state of pleasure, and there is in truth no moment at which he does not experience more pleasures than pains. For he remembers the past with thankfulness, and the present is so much his own that he is aware of its importance and its agreeableness, nor is he dependent on the future, but awaits it while enjoying the present … and when he compares the fool’s life with his own, he feels great pleasure. Pains, if any befall him, have never power enough to prevent the wise man from finding more reasons for joy than for vexation.”

For Epicurus and every thinking person, “pleasure” includes not just bodily stimulation but everything in life that is desirable — of the body and the mind alike. “Tranquility” is a desirable pleasure, but there are many other desirable pleasures. Epicurus recognized that action in the pursuit of mental pleasures such as science, art, and music can be no less important to happiness than food, drink, and sex! Once you expel the false morality of conventional religion and philosophy, you see that it is Nature that tells you how to live through pleasure and pain. A practical view of happiness is therefore based on the predominance of pleasure over pain, and for humans does not entail a goal of removing all exertion and pain from life.

Pursuing And Defending The Best Life As A Team Sport

”Exercise thyself in these and kindred precepts day and night, both by thyself and with him who is like unto thee; then never, either in waking or in dream, wilt thou be disturbed, but wilt live as a god among men. For man loses all semblance of mortality by living in the midst of immortal blessings.” … “And most of all give yourself up to the study of the beginnings and of infinity and of the things akin to them, and also of the criteria of truth and of the feelings, and of the purpose for which we reason out these things.”

Epicurus taught his students to work together with like-minded friends to seek out the truth about the universe, as this is the best way to find the best life possible. If you share the Epicurean worldview, join with us at EpicureanFriends.com, our friendly and cooperative online community. No trolls allowed!

Setting Priorities - Providing A Friendly No-Contemporary-Politics Zone

”We must free ourselves from the prison of public education and politics.” … “In investigating nature I would prefer to speak openly and like an oracle to give answers serviceable to all mankind, even though no one should understand me, rather than to conform to popular opinions and so win the praise freely scattered by the mob.”

Your politics are personal to you, and Epicurus taught the critical importance of surrounding yourself with like-minded friends. Here at EpicurusToday and EpicureanFriends.com, however, our first, last, and only focus of like-mindedness is learning and applying the philosophy of Epicurus. Everyone’s situation and therefore political preferences and conflicts are different. Discussion and pursuit of contemporary political goals is beyond the scope of EpicureanFriends.com and EpicurusToday, so in our activities at these sites we enforce a strict ban against partisan and divisive modern politics.

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Providing Easy Access To Core Texts

Studying the Epicurean texts is essential to understanding Epicurus. Here at EpicurusToday we have a page of Recommended Reading, in addition to which we have a Topical Outline of Concepts and Supporting Quotations. When you are ready for the original texts, we have Diogenes Laertius’ Biography of Epicurus with side-by-side Greek and English translations. We have Lucretius’ On The Nature of Things with an outline of key concepts and several English translations. The Roman Senator Cicero wrote against Epicurus but in so doing preserved important information about Epicurean views including Torquatus’ Summary of Epicurean Ethics and Velleius’ Summary of Epicurean Views On The Gods. Consult these and many other sources at our Library Overview page.