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 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. The core philosophy we know Epicurus to have believed in was that one should pursue simple pleasure in life. In fact, through the pursuit of simple pleasure and meaningful friendship, then pain can be better accepted or tolerated when it comes. This is demonstrated in his own life, where he claimed to a friend, as he was dying, that his state of mind was very happy despite the pain he felt from kidney stones. 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. However, evidence of his enduring philosophy in the centuries to come are evident, as when the Apostle Paul went to Athens he encountered followers of Epicureanism. 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. He stated that one should never fear death, as death simply means the end of what one can feel and not something that would be painful. Moderation was critical to all of his philosophical ideas of pleasure, as he warned against pursuits of love or other pleasures to the point where one becomes so enchanted by them that these pursuits could ultimately lead to pain.