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File:Epikouros_BM_1843.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Epicurus

Also known as Epíkouros, Epikouros

Epicurus (, ; ; 341–270 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher who founded Epicureanism, a highly influential school of philosophy; it asserted that philosophy's purpose is to attain as well as to help others attain tranquil lives, characterized by freedom from fear and the absence of pain.

OverviewAI-generated

Epicurus (Ἐπίκουρος) was a philosopher and writer of Classical Athens who lived from 342 or 341 BCE to 270 BCE. A member of the deme Gargettos, he worked in the field of philosophy during the Hellenistic period and was a proponent of Epicureanism. He was a student of Nausiphanes and was influenced by Aristippus, Democritus, and Pyrrho. His notable students included Hermarchus, Polyaenus of Lampsacus, Leonteus of Lampsacus, and Themista of Lampsacus.

He spoke Ancient Greek and adhered to the Ancient Greek religion. Epicurus died of kidney stone disease in Athens due to natural causes. His works include *Epicvrvs' morals*, *Physica et meteorologica duabus epistolis eiusdem comprehensa Graeca emendavit atque interpretatus est J. G. Schneider*, *Frammenti inediti della Etica di Epicuro*, *Fragmente*, and *Kyriai doxai*. He is described in sources such as the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary and the Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition.

Synthesized by Vinony from 35 facts across 7 sources: Wikidata, Crossref, Last.fm, Wikiquote, Open Library, Europeana Sparql, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Born: 341 BC
Died: 270 BC
Works: 80

Top works

Epicvrvs' morals
Physica et meteorologica duabus epistolis eiusdem comprehensa Graeca emendavit atque interpretatus est J. G. Schneider
Frammenti inediti della Etica di Epicuro
Fragmente
Kyriai doxai

via Open Library + Wikidata

Music · MusicBrainz

via MusicBrainz · CC0

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners: 336
Total plays: 725

Similar artists

Nigel WarburtonLudwig WittgensteinThomas C. BrickhouseMichel de MontaigneARISTOTLE

Epicurus (Greek: Ἐπίκουρος, Epikouros, "ally, comrade"; Samos, 341 BCE – Athens, 270 BCE; 72 years) was an ancient Greek philosopher and the founder of the school of philosophy called Epicureanism. Only a few fragments and letters remain of Epicurus's 300 written works. Much of what is known about Epicurean philosophy derives from later followers and commentators. For Epicurus, the purpose of philosophy was to attain the happy, tranquil life <a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Epicurus">Read more on Last.fm</a>

via Last.fm · Epicurus

Recent publications · Crossref

5 total works indexed

Epicurea
· 2010 · cited 22x
Letter to Menoeceus
· 2020 · cited 5x
Epicurus, Letters, Principal Doctrines, and Vatican Sayings. With an Introduction and Notes
· 1964 · cited 2x
Epistulae tres et ratae sententiae a Laertio Diogene servatae. Gnomologium Epicureum Vaticanum
· 1996 · cited 1x
The Stoic and Epicurean Philosophers. The Complete Extant Writings of Epicurus, Epictetus, Lucretius, Marcus, Aurelius
· 1941

via Crossref · CC0

Quotes

“ἄφοβον ὁ θεός, ἀνύποπτον ὁ θάνατος, καὶ τἀγαθὸν μὲν εὔκτητον, τὸ δὲ δεινὸν εὐεκκαρτέρητον.”
“Δικαιοσύνης καρπὸς μέγιστος ἀταραξία.”
“Luxurious food and drinks, in no way protect you from harm. Wealth beyond what is natural, is no more use than an overflowing container. Real value is not generated by theaters, and baths, perfumes or ointments, but by philosophy.”
“τὸ φρικωδέστατον οὖν τῶν κακῶν ὁ θάνατος οὐθὲν πρὸς ἡμᾶς͵ ἐπειδήπερ ὅταν μὲν ἡμεῖς ὦμεν͵ ὁ θάνατος οὐ πάρεστιν͵ ὅταν δὲ ὁ θάνατος παρῇ͵ τόθ΄ ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἐσμέν.”
“He who is not satisfied with a little, is satisfied with nothing.”
“Self-sufficiency is the greatest of all wealth.”

via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA

Key facts

Philosopher.name: Epicurus
Philosopher.image: Epikouros BM 1843.jpg
Philosopher.caption: Roman marble bust of Epicurus
Philosopher.region: Western philosophy
Philosopher.birth_date: February 341 BC
Philosopher.birth_place: Samos, Greece
Philosopher.death_date: 270 BC (aged about 72)
Philosopher.death_place: Athens, Greece
Philosopher.era: Hellenistic philosophy
Philosopher.school_tradition: Epicureanism
Philosopher.notable_ideas: Attributed:

via Wikipedia infobox

Works in European collections

18 objects attributed to Epicurus, held across European museums, libraries & archives · via Europeana

La morale d'Epicure

La Morale d'Épicure, avec des reflexions

Barátság

Philosophia Epicurea

Physica et meteorologica

Epicvri Philosophia, 3. Philosophiae Epicvri Pars Tertia, Qvae Est Ethica, Seu De Moribvs

Philosophia Epicurea

Epicuri ab H. Usenero recogniti specimen

Epicvri Philosophia, 2. Epicvri Meteorologia, Hoc Est, Illa Physicae Pars, Qvae Est De Rebvs Sublime Visis

Untitled

~58 min read

Encyclopedic overview

49 sections

Contents

Life
Upbringing and influences
Teaching career
Death
Philosophy
Physics
Epistemology
Criteria of truth
Principle of Multiple Explanations
Epilogism
Ethics
Politics
Theology
Epicurean paradox
Death
Works
''On Nature''
''Canon''
''Principal Doctrines''
Tetrapharmakos
Letters of Epicurus
''Letter to Herodotus''
''Letter to Pythocles''
''Letter to Menoeceus''
''Letter to Mother''
''Vatican Sayings''
Legacy
Ancient Epicureanism
Middle Ages
Renaissance
Revival
Modern
References
Bibliography
Primary source texts
Philodemus
Lucretius
Aetius
Plutarch
Lucian of Samosata
Diogenes of Oenoanda
Sextus Empiricus
Diogenes Laërtius
Lactantius
Epicurea
Modern compilations
Sources
Further reading
External links

Epicurus advocated that people were best able to pursue philosophy by living a self-sufficient life surrounded by friends; he and his followers were known for eating simple meals and discussing a wide range of philosophical subjects at "The Garden", the school he established in Athens. Epicurus taught that although the gods exist, they have no involvement in human affairs. Like the earlier philosopher Democritus, Epicurus claimed that all occurrences in the natural world are ultimately the result of tiny, invisible particles known as atoms moving and interacting in empty space, though Epicurus also deviated from Democritus by proposing the idea of atomic "swerve", which holds that atoms may deviate from their expected course, thus permitting humans to possess free will in an otherwise deterministic universe.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Epicurus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.