Why was Epicurus and his philosophy so important
Epicurus is often associated as one of the Greek philosophers more interested in pleasure or its pursuit than other ideals. While at times this led to a negative view of his philosophy, the reality is his thinking was very advanced and developed, leading to his ideas becoming highly influential in modern thought in many regions of the world today. He was one of the first Greek philosophers to develop a strong tradition that avoid superstition as a core ideal. His simple philosophy of avoiding pain, leading a simple life, and attaining knowledge have made his philosophy both attractive and influential to many.
Background
Relatively few works written by Epicurus (Figure 1) still survive, as most of what we known derive from later writings from his followers and his philosophical school that he started. We know that Epicureanism began as a philosophy at around 307/306 BCE. Like so many other philosophers, he established himself at Athens, although he was from Samos. He was influenced by the teaching of Democritus and he studied under Nausiphanes of Teos, but had a later falling out as he pursued his own new school of thought. In fact, Epicurus main problem with other philosophers was he felt they were too narrow in their beliefs and their schools did not allow freedom of expression or questioning of the main philosopher teachers. Epicurus' strong ego, in essence, led to rifts with other schools of thought, forcing him to create his own school. This ultimately, however, did give him freedom to develop his ideas which emerged over a number of years.
The core philosophy we know Epicurus to have believed in was that one should pursue simple pleasures in life. Friendship was also key to forming happiness. While his falling out with other philosophers may seem a slight contradiction in his beliefs of seeking friendship and pleasure, he did try to live up to his ideals. This is demonstrated when he claimed to a friend in a letter, as he was dying, that his state of mind was very happy despite the pain he felt from kidney stones. So, even if physically one cannot escape pain, mentally one can pursue happiness such that it becomes a state not bound by death or sickness. His ideas, therefore, differ greatly from modern understanding of hedonism, which is often associated with the pursuit of please at all costs. While many focus on his ideas of pleasure, it is also his scientific ideas that, along with those of Aristotle and other Greek philosophers, have greatly influenced our modern world.
During the lifetime of Epicurus, he had relatively few followers and they would meet at his house's garden. In fact, the garden becomes the name in which they associated their school. However, evidence of his enduring philosophy in the centuries that followed are evident, as when the Apostle Paul went to Athens he encountered followers of Epicureanism, demonstrating the success of the philosophy as it began to spread. He was one of the first philosophers to clearly state that good and bad actions do not derive from the gods, but these derive from the presence or absence of pain and suffering.
Epicureanism
Because Epicurus' ideas have been misunderstood, it is important to delineate the key ideas he developed and what he intended by them. His core ideals can be described as atomistic materialism, which held that all things are made up of atoms and that voids separated these atoms. Because gods do not control pain or pleasure, and that they are likely unable or uninterested in causing pain or pleasure to people, one should pursue pleasure as a key goal in life. However, the danger that Epicurus realized is that this simple pursuit can lead to indulgence that then leads back to pain. Therefore, moderation is key so that one does not become over zealous, or essentially addicted, to the pursuit of pleasure where they are unable to function and pursue a balanced life. Minimizing pain and suffering are critical to this. Thus it is not pursuit of lusts or desires so much but it is seeking knowledge, good friendships, and banishing ideas that bring difficulty and problems to our life.
The Epicureans did believe in the existence of the gods, but did not see them as central to living or being happy, which made them different from many other philosophers.
Key Influences on Our World
The impacts of the philosophy are many and, in many ways, Epicurus held many thoughts that have turned out to at least have at least some truths, despite his inability to fully observe them. For instance, his ideas that the universe is infinite are more realistic than philosophers who had a very narrow idea of where the universe and its extent lies. He also believed no truth should be accepted as given without some form of proof, an idea that is now foundational to modern science. He also believed that life must have basic building blocks, a concept of atoms that was only proven in the 19th century. A key development that Epicurus indicated in his writings is the concept of divorcing the pursuit of knowledge from religious pursuits, something that became popular by the Renascence, as thinkers from that era began to realize the importance of separating their work from religious zeal that may have hindered some advances in knowledge. A key example is Galileo’s advocacy that the Earth was not the center of the universe.
While Epicurus’ ideas in science proved to be influential to later generations and modern science, his philosophy on happiness underwent different understanding in various periods. While his teachings on happiness were often conflated with later understanding of hedonism, later thinkers began to see the practicality of his philosophy on pleasure as one that avoids pain and pursues simple pleasures and avoids indulgence.
Conclusion
Epicurus has been a misunderstood philosopher, yet his influence has been profound and can be considered one of the founders of modern philosophy. His ideas continue to influence our world and then longevity of his thinking shows that it held influence through many major shifts in history.
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