Epicurus
Humans have way less agency than we think. Be grateful for the illusion
I’m trying to concentrate on writing this piece, but my two grandchildren in the room next door have stopped making paper aeroplanes and started arguing. “You kicked me,” yells Freya. Her brother Ben insists it was an accident. “I didn’t mean to,” he cries.<p>Why should this be an excuse, I wonder? …
Big IdeasHedonism is good for your health
I think I might be a hedonist. Are you imagining me snorting cocaine through $100 notes, a glass of champagne in one hand, the other fondling a stranger's firm thigh? Before you judge me harshly, I know hedonism has a bad reputation, but it might be time to reconsider.<p>What if, instead of a …
HealthWhat is hedonism and how does it affect your health?
I think I might be a hedonist. Are you imagining me snorting cocaine through $100 notes, a glass of champagne in one hand, the other fondling a …
PsychologyFour More Maxims from Epicurus
“Whoever understands the limits of life knows that it is extremely easy to take away the pain of want and to make all of life fulfilled. Then he …
The Lost Works of Epicurus, a List
<b>From Diogenes Laertius, 10.27-28</b><p>37 Seven books On Nature<br>Περὶ φύσεως ἑπτὰ καὶ τριάκοντα.<p>On Atoms and Emptiness<br>Περὶ ἀτόμων καὶ κενοῦ.<p>On Lust<br>Περὶ ἔρωτος.<p>…
A kinder, gentler philosophy of success | Alain de Botton
https://download.ted.com/talks/AlaindeBotton_2009G-64k.mp4Alain de Botton examines our ideas of success and failure -- and questions the assumptions …
Western PhilosophyHappiness Should Be A Verb — A Thing We Do, Not Be
1. Many need a new “happiness.” The pursuit of which is more attuned to a key logic built into our biology (and which matches some mostly forgotten, …
HappinessEpicurus For Today
Luke Slattery argues that the ancient philosophy of the Garden offers an attractive answer to some of the challenges of the modern world.
Monday Meslier: 5 – It Is Not Necessary To Believe in a God and the Most Reasonable Thing is Not to Think Of Him
Jean Meslier<p>No religious system can be founded otherwise than upon the nature of God and of men, and upon the relations they bear to each other. But, …
AtheismWhat Epicurus Can Teach Us about Freedom and Happiness
I had been covering the presidential election on talk radio, and my mind was a cracked and scrambled egg. So I picked up a book, at random, as a …
EconomicsA different view on Hatay"s skeleton mosaic - ARCHAEOLOGY
ARCHAEOLOGY >A different view on Hatay’s skeleton mosaic<p>Just as the “Gypsy Girl (Maeaned)” mosaic has become the symbol of Gaziantep, “the skeleton …
ArchaeologyEpicurus
Epicurus (341 BCE – 270 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher, the founder of the Epicurean school in Athens, who taught that "Pleasure is the …
Ancient HistoryKochhar Online Humanist Education | Lesson 1: Classical Greece and Rome
This content is for Bringing Humanism Home – Self to Others Courses, Bringing Humanism Home – Self to Self Courses, Celebrant Training: End of Life …
HumanismDoes my death harm me?
Some people fear flying; some fear buttons; and many, many people fear their own death. We might try to argue a friend out of their fear of flying or …
Philosophy and Divination
At the opening of his Metaphysics, Aristotle says that people have a natural desire to know things. This may seem obvious, but the obvious may be …
Does death rob our lives of meaning?
In the previous post, we met the argument with which Epicurus hoped to cure our fear of death and, with that, our fear of everything else. But we …
PhilosophySeneca on Letting the Eminent Dead Guide You
<i>“One who can so revere another, will soon himself be worthy of reverence.”</i> <br>— Seneca***There’s a core part of Charlie Munger’s operating system for …
Charlie MungerFive Fascinating Facts about Epicurus
Fun facts about the philosopher Epicurus 1. Much of what we know about Epicurus’ philosophy is wrong. Epicureanism, the name of the philosophy …
LiteratureHow to Live With Less Stuff But More Happiness
Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for. – Epicurus“Do …
HappinessDoes God Live in Our Zip Code?
In her book, <i>Epicureanism at the Origins of Modernity</i>, the philosopher Catharine Wilson has asserted that "we are all, in a sense, Epicureans now." The biblical scholar N. T. Wright quotes Wilson, and calls her assessment "spot on."<p>When I was a young man, I thought Epicureans were people who ate …
News (U.S.)What did the ancient Greeks believe?
Tim Whitmarsh sets out to show that atheism was quite normal in classical Greece. But it’s a more slippery notion than he realises<p>It is a curious fact that the modern Hebrew for ‘atheist’, Tim Whitmarsh notes in passing, is <i>apikoros</i>. The word derives from Epicurus, who set up shop as a philosopher …
AtheismCoping: Epicurus was right about friendship
FRIENDSHIP WEEK: Such bonds are essential to human happiness – but it’s important to know when to walk away<p>Most Read
RelationshipsEpicureanism: eat, drink, and be merry?
Most people have a good idea what it is to have a Stoical attitude to life, but what it means to have an Epicurean attitude is not so obvious. When …
PhilosophyAnd your fifteen minutes starts now, should you choose to accept them ...
Reanimating a very old pedagogical technique, we decided recently to reframe Deakin’s history of ethics course. Each week, competing arguments for …
15th centuryApatheia vs Ataraxia: what’s the difference?
Home <b>›</b> Psychology <b>›</b> <b>Apatheia vs Ataraxia: what’s the difference?</b><p><i>on</i> December 26, 2015 ( 3 )<p>Epicurus<p>Stoics and Epicureans where often in dispute with …
What You’re Meant To Do: Career Advice from Ancient Wisdom
I live in the DC area and one topic that inevitably comes up is career. Depending on the crowd, you’ll hear about the people still figuring what they …
Tim FerrissThe perfect religion for Guardian readers (plus some other neglected belief systems)
Exciting news from the world of philosophy! Next year will see the 20th anniversary of the New Stoa, an online community of ‘all those who are Stoics and who wish to be known by the commitment they have made’. Stoicism, the philosophy of choice for sanctimonious Roman billionaires, is evidently …
ReligionHow I Built a Subscription Business that's Made over $50k in 6 months
About 6 months ago, I launched a subscription service called Prospurly. For $44.95/month after a coupon, subscribers receive 6-8 full-size, artisan …
Accounting SoftwareEpicureanism: The original hippie commune and the birth of the American dream
let me ask you a question. Are you happy?“Quit kidding yourself!” says Epicurus.It is more than likely that you might think that you are happy, but …
Cultivate Your Own Garden
Dear friend,<p>I want to share some meditations and thoughts that are currently on my mind– and perhaps tell some stories. Thank you for being a good …
Eric Kim