Philosophy Concepts

The Goal: Pleasure (Hedone)

For Epicureans, pleasure is the primary intrinsic good. This is understood not as intense sensory gratification, but as a state of serene contentment. This involves:

• Ataraxia: A state of imperturbable tranquility and freedom from fear and anxiety.
• Aponia: The absence of physical pain and suffering.

Epicurus distinguished between two types of pleasures:

• Kinetic pleasures: Pleasures that arise from satisfying a desire (e.g., eating when hungry).
• Katastematic pleasures: Static pleasures, which are states of being without pain or disturbance (e.g., the feeling of fullness after eating). Katastematic pleasures were considered superior.

Types of Desires

Epicurus categorized desires to help guide individuals towards a life of moderation and minimal disturbance:

• Natural and Necessary: Desires that are essential for life, health, and happiness (e.g., food, water, shelter, friendship). These are easy to satisfy.
• Natural and Unnecessary: Desires that are natural but not essential for survival or happiness (e.g., luxurious food, fine clothes). These can lead to dissatisfaction if pursued excessively.
• Vain and Empty: Desires that are unnatural and unnecessary, often instilled by society or false beliefs (e.g., fame, power, immortality). These are the most difficult to satisfy and cause the most disturbance.

The wise person focuses on fulfilling only the natural and necessary desires.

Physics and the Fear of Death

Epicurean physics, largely based on atomism, played a crucial role in achieving ataraxia. Key ideas include:

• The universe is composed of atoms and void, and all phenomena are the result of atomic interactions.
• The gods exist but are indifferent to human affairs; they live in a state of perfect bliss and do not punish or reward humans. This liberates people from the fear of divine retribution.
• Death is the cessation of sensation. When we exist, death is not; when death exists, we are not. Therefore, death is nothing to us. This eliminates the fear of death and what might come after.

Ethics and Friendship

Epicurean ethics emphasizes practical wisdom (phronesis) in choosing actions that lead to lasting pleasure and avoiding those that lead to pain. Friendship was considered one of the greatest sources of pleasure and security, essential for a happy life. Epicurus famously stated, "Of all the things which wisdom acquires to produce the blessedness of the whole life, far the greatest is the possession of friendship."