Epicureanism

Throughout history, Religion and belief in God have been deeply rooted in culture. To question God’s existence was considered shameful. In early ages, questioning God’s existence was considered personally insulting to many people and their religions, therefore few people broke away from the norm. However, with the introduction and advancement of science into cultural, individuals gained a groundwork for they're questioning. With factual evidence arising, providing proof for the creation of the…

Theme: The Epicurean pleasure principle versus the African moral dimension. Introduction Pleasure seems an interesting dimension of life worthy pursuit. The question is what is pleasure? Pleasure is defined differently, to some it is the absence of pain, to others it is satisfying the biological and emotional needs, to some, it is an extravagance issue and some associate it with hedonism eat for tomorrow you shall die (Norman 2015:9). For Epicurus, pleasure is doing things in moderation,…

The Bible is arguably the most influential book of all time. It has been attributed with impacting the lives of untold millions of people and has been claimed as the impetus behind many of the Western World’s upheavals. Martin Luther’s thesis was founded on the book; pilgrims set sail to find a place where they could follow their own interpretations of it. Missionaries travel the world bringing its words, along with the culture of those missionaries to the most remote corners of civilization,…

it. However, it isn’t rocket science as they say it is to achieve absolute happiness. According to Epicurus and his theories, it’s actually quite easy to be happy. Epicurus was an ancient Greek philosopher that was the founder of the school of Epicureanism (basically a school of happiness). One of Epicurus’ beliefs to achieve complete happiness was to surround yourself with friends and basically never be alone. Epicurus believed this so much so, that he had his own home converted into a…

expression of “divine will” and that people could only be happy if they lived in harmony with nature. They stressed this belief and stated that everyone was obligated to help each other. Stoicism remained a popular philosophy well after other such as Epicureanism died out due to its most lasting belief in the concept of natural law. The Stoics resolved that all people were alike, participated in one divine purpose and remained in harmony with the universe, with one natural law presiding over…

I believe the critics find fault with the theory because the Utilitarianism seems too hedonistic in nature, to the point where some compare the ideals to Epicureanism because the only thing that mattered in life was blind pleasure and avoidance of pain. I find this misleading because both Mill and Epicureans defend their ideals by distinguishing between higher and lower pleasures. Mill thinks that intellectual…

As we view the world, we have process of decision making, thinking, and developing preferences. Certain Philosophies and or religions can develop those processes. There are many kinds of music, entertainment, and literature that fit different individuals and different cultures. “Most religions of the world are based on sacred books.” (Janaro “Art of Being Human”). Buddhism is a little different, and abides by the ‘Four Noble Truths’ that explore humans. When digging deep into religion, one…

“our wise man feels his troubles but overcomes them, while their wise man does not even feel them”(Letter XI), rather he advocates appropriate emotional response through applying rationality. In this quote, he speaks on the differences between Epicureanism and Stoicism, which he does often throughout his letters. Though Seneca defends Stoicism avidly, he welcomes truth and embraces philosophy separate from his own, which models the pursuit and application of philosophy, common property to all,…

living wisely and well and justly agreeing -neither to harm nor be harmed- . And it is impossible to live wisely and well and justly without living a pleasant life”, Plato believed. Epicureanism incorporated a relatively full account of the “social contract” theory. The social contract theory established by Epicureanism is based on mutual agreement, not divine decree. It is this type of agreement that Epicurus sought to have with the state, an agreement that guarantees him not to harm or be…

Virtue is the habit of choosing the mean between the extremes of excess and deficiency with regard to some action or emotion. Most importantly, virtue brings upon friendship since virtue is the parent and preserver of friendship and without virtue, friendship cannot exist at all. Aristotle’s aristotelian view on friendship in the Nicomachean Ethics Books 8 & 9 contrasts and compares with Cicero’s eclectic view on friendship in De Amicitia in numerous ways. Aristotle defines friendship as two…