Jeffrey San
1301 Philosophy
10/14/15
9:05
Epicurus
Epicurus was a philosopher born during the year of 347 B.C in the city of Athens, Greece. Epicurus believed that our lives as human beings on this earth is centered around the idea of happiness and that many of us continue to strive for it whether if its in material objects or experiences with others and that it’s something that’s actually worth doing. What they strive for as Epicureans is ultimate happiness which is called ataraxia. Not only does he say this but along with this pleasure we try to gain there’s the complete opposite that’s existing along with it which is the pain. In this essay I will present Epicurus’s arguments along with defending it. Starting with his famous “Letter to Menoeceus” Epicurus talks about the concept of when someone is in the situation of being completely unhappy he or she will work their way as much as they can to get their selves out of the situation that they’re currently in in order to be happy. Which makes pleasure our number one priority in life. To go into deeper meaning he also says that one will choose ones personal pleasure over someone else and that is the root of every …show more content…
In other words, your life goal as a Epicurean was to avoid as much pain as possible whether it’d be physical or mental pain. With out having much physical or mental pain clearly makes life a lot more pleasurable. For example, the choice of attending university after graduating high school is made through the choice of personal pleasure because after completing all your courses you’ll earn a well paid job which will prevent “pain in the body” due to affording better healthier lifestyle. It also helps prevent “trouble of the soul” because you wouldn’t have to worry about resources such as food, water or
1301 Philosophy
10/14/15
9:05
Epicurus
Epicurus was a philosopher born during the year of 347 B.C in the city of Athens, Greece. Epicurus believed that our lives as human beings on this earth is centered around the idea of happiness and that many of us continue to strive for it whether if its in material objects or experiences with others and that it’s something that’s actually worth doing. What they strive for as Epicureans is ultimate happiness which is called ataraxia. Not only does he say this but along with this pleasure we try to gain there’s the complete opposite that’s existing along with it which is the pain. In this essay I will present Epicurus’s arguments along with defending it. Starting with his famous “Letter to Menoeceus” Epicurus talks about the concept of when someone is in the situation of being completely unhappy he or she will work their way as much as they can to get their selves out of the situation that they’re currently in in order to be happy. Which makes pleasure our number one priority in life. To go into deeper meaning he also says that one will choose ones personal pleasure over someone else and that is the root of every …show more content…
In other words, your life goal as a Epicurean was to avoid as much pain as possible whether it’d be physical or mental pain. With out having much physical or mental pain clearly makes life a lot more pleasurable. For example, the choice of attending university after graduating high school is made through the choice of personal pleasure because after completing all your courses you’ll earn a well paid job which will prevent “pain in the body” due to affording better healthier lifestyle. It also helps prevent “trouble of the soul” because you wouldn’t have to worry about resources such as food, water or