Ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus (341-270 BC) is known the founder of the Epicurean school. Little has remained of his work but his disciples passed on his philosophy of peace of mind and doctrines of friendship as the goals of the good and happy life. Lucretius was his most famous follower.
Epicurus Nutshell Biography and Basis of Philosophy
Born to a poor Athenian colonist in Samos, Epicurus was neither wealthy nor aristocratic. Most of his life, he suffered from ill health.
His philosophy represents a creative blend of the metaphysical interests of the Presocratics with the ethical concerns of Socrates. His teachings consisted in the pursuit of happiness, which he conceived as the elimination of pain.
He follows Democritus' concept of atomism but with one significant modification. Epicurus agreed that atoms originally moved on undisturbed parallel lines, however, he argued that some atoms swerved from the course on their own free will like a spontaneous act. Likewise, although he believed in the idea that the soul was but a movement of atoms in the material body, some atoms could swerve freely in the void.
Practical Philosophy of Life and Happiness
The real interest of Epicurus was not in speculative metaphysics but with the practical philosophy of life. His ethical teaching consisted in the pursuit of happiness, which he conceived as elimination of pain, both mental and physical. Of the two, he believed that mental pain was worse.
His argument was that since there is no afterlife, death should not be feared, as there won't exist avenging gods, and the soul is merely the concatenation of atoms which will be dispersed upon bodily death.
On the other hand, mental anguish - in the form of anxiety and fears - could continue and result in depression and other psychological ills, which can be more distracting.
Wisdom of Epicurus – Virtuous Pursuit of Pleasure
Despite his pursuit of pleasure, Epicurus did not condone promiscuity, injustice or decadent lifestyle, as unjustly labeled by the stoic philosopher, Epictetus. On the contrary, he was aware that many of the bodily pleasures brought either pains or painful consequences.
Epicurus taught that wisdom was the greatest virtue. He professed that no one could be completely happy unless they lived a virtuous life as it led to pleasurable consequences.
Like Democritus and other Presocratics before him, Epicurus rejected the idea of anthropomorphic gods who were cognizant of human affairs. But he was not an atheist, since he believed that there were gods, except they had no interest in human affairs, which would only distract them from their own pursuit of peaceful contemplation.
Epicurus Works and Contribution
The only works by Epicurus that survived are three letters and two sets of quotes, the Principle Doctrines, preserved in Book 10 of biographer Diogenes Laertius's Lives of Eminent Philosophers. Other sources come from writers such as Lucretius, Cicero, Horace and Plutarch. Epicurean philosophy survived for many years, eclipsed only by the Roman interest in Stoicism.
Sources:
- Clark, John, Ed. Illustrated Biographical Dictionary. London:Chancellor Press, 1994.
- McGovern, Una, Ed. Biographical Dictionary. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers, 2002.
- Stokes, Philip. Philosophy, the Great Thinkers. London: Capella, 2007.
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