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Roman Epicurus bust. Epicureanism is a system of philosophy founded 307 BCE based upon the teachings of Epicurus, an ancient Greek philosopher.Epicurus was an atomist and materialist, following in the steps of Democritus.
Epicurus developed a nuanced form of ethical hedonism, arguing that a tranquil state of mind cultivated through moderation leads to the greatest overall happiness. [ 24 ] Ethical or normative hedonism is the thesis that the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain are the highest moral principles of human behavior.
The Epicurean paradox or riddle of Epicurus or Epicurus' trilemma is a version of the problem of evil. Lactantius attributes this trilemma to Epicurus in De Ira Dei , 13, 20-21: God, he says, either wishes to take away evils, and is unable; or He is able, and is unwilling; or He is neither willing nor able, or He is both willing and able.
It is also the root of the English word "hedonism". In Greek mythology , Hedone is personified as a goddess of pleasure, enjoyment, and delight, as the daughter born from the union of Eros (personification of love) and Psyche (personification of the soul). [ 1 ]
Aristippus of Cyrene. The Cyrenaics or Kyrenaics (Ancient Greek: Κυρηναϊκοί, romanized: Kyrēnaïkoí), were a sensual hedonist Greek school of philosophy founded in the 4th century BCE, supposedly by Aristippus of Cyrene, although many of the principles of the school are believed to have been formalized by his grandson of the same name, Aristippus the Younger.
Epicurus identified eudaimonia with the life of pleasure. Epicurus' ethical theory is hedonistic. His views were very influential for the founders and best proponents of utilitarianism, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Hedonism is the view that pleasure is the only intrinsic good and that pain is the only intrinsic bad.
Since most of Epicurus' 37 books "On Nature" are lost to us, [2] the Principal Doctrines are, together with Epicurus' Letters to Herodotus, Menoeceus, and Pythocles, the most authoritative writings in Epicureanism. The Principal Doctrines exemplify the Epicurean philosophers' practice of publishing summaries and outlines of their teachings for ...
The Latin phrase Epicuri de grege porcum (literally, "A pig from the herd of Epicurus") was a phrase first used by the Roman poet Horace. The phrase appears in an epistle to Albius Tibullus , giving advice to the moody fellow poet: [ 1 ]