Letter to Menoeceus

Letter to Menoeceus PDF Author: Epicurus
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781537308876
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 28

Get Book Here

Book Description
Letter to Menoeceus - Epicurus - Translated by Robert Drew Hicks - Epicurus; 341-270 BC, was an ancient Greek philosopher as well as the founder of the school of philosophy called Epicureanism. Only a few fragments and letters of Epicurus's 300 written works remain. Much of what is known about Epicurean philosophy derives from later followers and commentators. For Epicurus, the purpose of philosophy was to attain the happy, tranquil life, characterized by ataraxia-peace and freedom from fear-and aponia-the absence of pain-and by living a self-sufficient life surrounded by friends. He taught that pleasure and pain are measures of what is good and evil; death is the end of both body and soul and should therefore not be feared; the gods neither reward nor punish humans; the universe is infinite and eternal; and events in the world are ultimately based on the motions and interactions of atoms moving in empty space. Epicurus is a key figure in the development of science and scientific methodology because of his insistence that nothing should be believed, except that which was tested through direct observation and logical deduction. He was a key figure in the Axial Age, the period from 800 BC to 200 BC, during which, according to Karl Jaspers, similar thinking appeared in China, India, Iran, the Near East, and Ancient Greece. His statement of the Ethic of Reciprocity as the foundation of ethics is the earliest in Ancient Greece, and he differs from the formulation of utilitarianism by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill by emphasizing the minimization of harm to oneself and others as the way to maximize happiness.

Letter to Menoeceus

Letter to Menoeceus PDF Author: Epicurus
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781537308876
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 28

Get Book Here

Book Description
Letter to Menoeceus - Epicurus - Translated by Robert Drew Hicks - Epicurus; 341-270 BC, was an ancient Greek philosopher as well as the founder of the school of philosophy called Epicureanism. Only a few fragments and letters of Epicurus's 300 written works remain. Much of what is known about Epicurean philosophy derives from later followers and commentators. For Epicurus, the purpose of philosophy was to attain the happy, tranquil life, characterized by ataraxia-peace and freedom from fear-and aponia-the absence of pain-and by living a self-sufficient life surrounded by friends. He taught that pleasure and pain are measures of what is good and evil; death is the end of both body and soul and should therefore not be feared; the gods neither reward nor punish humans; the universe is infinite and eternal; and events in the world are ultimately based on the motions and interactions of atoms moving in empty space. Epicurus is a key figure in the development of science and scientific methodology because of his insistence that nothing should be believed, except that which was tested through direct observation and logical deduction. He was a key figure in the Axial Age, the period from 800 BC to 200 BC, during which, according to Karl Jaspers, similar thinking appeared in China, India, Iran, the Near East, and Ancient Greece. His statement of the Ethic of Reciprocity as the foundation of ethics is the earliest in Ancient Greece, and he differs from the formulation of utilitarianism by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill by emphasizing the minimization of harm to oneself and others as the way to maximize happiness.

The Epicurus Reader

The Epicurus Reader PDF Author: Epicurus
Publisher: Hackett Publishing
ISBN: 1603845828
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 129

Get Book Here

Book Description
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Introduction The ancient biography of Epicurus The extant letters Ancient collections of maxims Doxographical reports The testimony of Cicero The testimony of Lucretius The polemic of Plutarch Short fragments and testimonia from known works: * From On Nature * From the Puzzles * From On the Goal * From the Symposium * From Against Theophrastus * Fragments of Epicurus' letters Short fragments and testimonia from uncertain works: * Logic and epistemology * Physics and theology * Ethics Index

Principal Doctrines

Principal Doctrines PDF Author: Epicurus
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 1387275275
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 45

Get Book Here

Book Description
Epicurus posited a materialistic physics, in which pleasure, by which he meant freedom from pain, is the highest good. Serenity, the harmony of mind and body, is best achieved, through virtue and simple living.

A Few Days in Athens

A Few Days in Athens PDF Author: Frances Wright
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Athens (Greece)
Languages : en
Pages : 182

Get Book Here

Book Description
A philosophical novella defending Epicurianism.

Epicurus and the Singularity of Death

Epicurus and the Singularity of Death PDF Author: David B. Suits
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350134066
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 242

Get Book Here

Book Description
In his Letter to Menoeceus, the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus states that 'death is nothing to us'. Few philosophers then or since have agreed with his controversial argument, upholding instead that death constitutes a deprivation and is therefore to be feared. Diverging from the current trend and sparking fresh debate, this book provides an imaginative defense of the Epicurean view of death. Drawing on Epicurus's Principal Doctrines, Lucretius's De Rerum Natura and Philodemus's De Morte, David Suits argues that the usual concepts of harm, loss and suffering no longer apply in death, thus showing how the deprivation view is flawed. He also applies Epicurean reasoning to key issues in applied ethics in order to dispute the claim that there can be a right to life, to defend egoistic friendship, and to consider how Epicureanism might handle wills and life insurance. By championing the Epicurean perspective, this book makes a valuable contribution to the contemporary philosophical debate about death.

The Art of Happiness

The Art of Happiness PDF Author: Epicurus
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 110160865X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 269

Get Book Here

Book Description
The brilliant writings of a highly influential Greek philosopher, with a foreword by Daniel Klein, author of Travels with Epicurus The teachings of Epicurus—about life and death, religion and science, physical sensation, happiness, morality, and friendship—attracted legions of adherents throughout the ancient Mediterranean world and deeply influenced later European thought. Though Epicurus faced hostile opposition for centuries after his death, he counts among his many admirers Thomas Hobbes, Thomas Jefferson, Karl Marx, and Isaac Newton. This volume includes all of his extant writings—his letters, doctrines, and Vatican sayings—alongside parallel passages from the greatest exponent of his philosophy, Lucretius, extracts from Diogenes Laertius' Life of Epicurus, a lucid introductory essay about Epicurean philosophy, and a foreword by Daniel Klein, author of Travels with Epicurus and coauthor of the New York Times bestseller Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar. For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Letter on happiness

Letter on happiness PDF Author: Epicurus
Publisher: GOODmood
ISBN: 8862777418
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 20

Get Book Here

Book Description
"No one is too young or too old to know what happiness is."This is how the way to happiness begins according to Epicurus, the famous founder of one of the most important schools of thought of the Hellenistic and Roman age. Happiness, which individuals yearn so much for, becomes something really easy to get. In this "Letter on happiness" Epicurus reflects on the real meaning of happiness and then reveals you how you can achieve it . You can read and read to it again, with a smile on your face ! ☺ Translated by Alessandra Bottacin

Facing Death

Facing Death PDF Author: James Warren
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199252890
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 251

Get Book Here

Book Description
James Warren examines and evaluates the argument that death is 'nothing to us'. He sets this against modern philosophical accounts of how death can be a harm and asks whether a life free from all fear of death is an attractive option and what the consequences would be of a full acceptance of the Epicureans' views.

The Philosophy of Epicurus

The Philosophy of Epicurus PDF Author: Epicurus
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 0486833038
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 275

Get Book Here

Book Description


St. Paul and Epicurus

St. Paul and Epicurus PDF Author: Norman W. De Witt
Publisher: U of Minnesota Press
ISBN: 145291172X
Category : Bible
Languages : en
Pages : 213

Get Book Here

Book Description