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How Does Epicurus Define Happiness

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Epicurus' Famous Proclamation on Happiness
Epicurus was a Greek philosopher who believed in Atomism a theory in which the universe and its internal items are infinite in the number of atoms it contains, he believed this theory is the basic approach to understanding a true reality. Happiness was a subject Epicurious focused heavily on, he discussed the school of thought Hedonism which believes the way to an ideal life is through pleasures, for example, foods, sex, and alcohol as the highest choices to reaching these pleasures, In vulgar hedonism these pleasures have no limits, but according to Epicurean hedonism too much of these pleasures will lead to a negative outcome, and states that these should be chosen, also as avoiding all pain should not be a goal. Epicurus believed the highest way to achieve happiness was to have one's soul be free of any belief that we as humans will have eternal life, to eliminate fear and anxiety from things such as death, and pain, for reference he explains death as a deprivation of sensation and nothing more; an afterlife was not something Epicurus supported as he felt it was another source of fear and anxiety a disturbance to the mind. Epicurious states that all natural …show more content…
Epicurious is quoted "Thanks be to blessed Nature because she has made what is necessarily easy to supply, and what is not easy unnecessary...The right understanding of these facts enables us to refer all choice and avoidance to the health of the body and the soul's freedom from disturbance since this is the aim of the life of blessedness." Which also as explained above are the things that are necessary for a good life are those that are simple, only what is needed for our beings that nurture us, and to eliminate the things we seek for our selfish

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