Epicureanism
Sign in to savethumb|Roman Epicurus bust Epicureanism, less commonly Epicurism, is a school of philosophy founded in 307 BCE and based upon the teachings of Epicurus, an ancient Greek philosopher. Epicurus was an atomist and materialist, following in the steps of Democritus. His materialism led him to religious scepticism and a general attack on superstition and divine intervention. Epicureanism was originally a challenge to Platonism, and its main opponent later became Stoicism. It is a form of hedonism insofar as it declares pleasure to be its sole intrinsic goal. However, the concept that the absence of p
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Epicureanism is an ancient Greek philosophical school founded by Epicurus in 307 BCE that emphasizes pleasure as the ultimate good while rejecting superstition and divine intervention based on a materialist view of the world. It matters historically because it represented a major challenge to competing philosophical systems like Platonism and Stoicism, and it fundamentally shaped Western debates about how to live well and what makes life meaningful.
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Article
26 sectionsContents
- History
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Epistemology
- Sense perception
- Criterion of truth
- Ethics
- Pleasure
- Desire
- Politics
- Friendship
- Death
- Gods
- Legacy
- Later antiquity
- Middle Ages and Renaissance
- Modern revival
- Similarities with eastern philosophies
- Misconceptions
- Epicurea
- Notes
- Sources
- Primary
- Secondary
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|Roman Epicurus bust Epicureanism, less commonly Epicurism, is a school of philosophy founded in 307 BCE and based upon the teachings of Epicurus, an ancient Greek philosopher. Epicurus was an atomist and materialist, following in the steps of Democritus. His materialism led him to religious scepticism and a general attack on superstition and divine intervention. Epicureanism was originally a challenge to Platonism, and its main opponent later became Stoicism. It is a form of hedonism insofar as it declares pleasure to be its sole intrinsic goal. However, the concept that the absence of pain and fear constitutes the greatest pleasure, and its advocacy of a simple life, make it very different from hedonism as colloquially understood.
Following the Cyrenaic philosopher Aristippus, Epicurus believed that the greatest good was to seek modest, sustainable pleasure in the form of a state of ataraxia (tranquility and freedom from fear) and aponia (the absence of bodily pain) through knowledge of the workings of the world and limiting desires. Correspondingly, Epicurus and his followers generally withdrew from politics because it could lead to frustrations and ambitions that would conflict with their pursuit of virtue and peace of mind.