Epicureanism

Epicureanism Philosophy I A Brief Summary of Epicurianism Combining the pleasure-seeking teachings of Aristippus and the atom theory of Democritus, Epicurus’ philosophy answers the questions of how best to live one’s life and approach death. Epicurus’ Principle Doctrines emphasize the school of thought that the natural pursuit of please does not make one an intrinsically evil, corrupt person. However, though many today misconstrue his message as an approval of sensory overindulgence, his texts advocate the merits of restraint: “No pleasure is a bad thing in itself, but the things which produce certain pleasures entail disturbances many times greater than the pleasures themselves”(Gill). The teachings of Epicurus state that the fulfillment of one’s basic needs unlock the door to a life of pleasure. To spend one’s life in a state of anxiety due to the pursuit of excessive merriment will have an inverse effect, wasting one’s life in an unpleasant state instead of enjoying simple pleasures (The Philosophy Garden). Indeed, the original writings that shape the epicurianistic philosophy repeatedly sing the praises of intangible pleasures such as wisdom and the peace of mind one derives from living a just life. In response to the question of how one should make one, life, philosophy, gods, epicurus, death, should, one’s, pleasures, atoms, state, soul, pleasure, garden, exist, epicureans, epicurean, cook, truth, times, thought, thing, theory, texts, teachings, statement, spend, pursuit, principle, present, over, natural, moral, make, live