Who can be called and Epicurean today?
What principles, attitudes, behavior patterns, lifestyle would describe an “Epicurean” 2,300 years after Epicurus?
Can we put together a sort of catalog that describes what and “Epicurean” is in our days?
Do you know a living person whom you would describe as “Epicurean”? Why?
These are the questions I asked on Epicurus’s discussion board today:
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=14509&uid=79493658728
Ethics of autonomy, community and divinity and the feeling of elevation
The ethics of autonomy, community and divinity as per Shweder and Haidt are explained here:
http://www.psychwiki.com/wiki/Moral_Psychology
Haidt’s studies on the feeling of elevation or divinity can be accessed here:
http://people.virginia.edu/~jdh6n/elevation.html
Epicureanism: Philosophy or Religion/criteria grid
| Criteria | Philosophy | Religion | Epicureanism |
| Ethics (moral teachings): What is right/wrong? | y | y | y |
| Ttheory of knowledge: What is true/false? | y | y/n | y |
| Metaphysics: What is there and what is it like? | y | y | y |
| Consistence of the above fields | y | n | y |
| Theology: nature and activities of deity or deities | y/n | y | y |
| Faith required | n | y | y |
| Belief in and reverence for a Savior | n | y | y |
| Belief in and reverence for deity or deities | n | y | y |
| Ethics of autonomy apply | y/n | y/n | y |
| Ethics of community apply | n | y | y |
| Ethics of divinity apply | n | y | y |
| Consistence of Moral Teachings and Behavior | n | y | y |
| feeling of elevation | n | y | y |
| feeling of fear of deity or deities | n | y/n | n |
| feeling of gratitude towards deity or deities | n | y/n | n |
| recommended or prescribed behavior | n | y | y |
| participation in rituals | n | y | y |
| symbolism | n | y | y |
| traditions | n | y | y |
| sacred histories | n | y | y |
| goal and meaning of life | n | y | y |
| preferred lifestyle | y/n | y | y |
| religious laws | n | y | n |
| love/altruism for neighbor | n | y | y |
| desire control | n | y | y |
| prayer | n | y | n |
| reflection | y | y/n | y |
| teaching | y/n | y | y |
| strong communal life | y/n | y | y |
A 4 minute intro video on Epicureanism
I have found this minute intro video on Epicureanism:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXaVrfgKzpA
It’s pithy. The guy who made it is Anderson Kith.
As a sign of my appreciation I will send him my ebook
“From Pain to Pleasure: The Proven Pathway to Happiness” http://stressfreedomguide.com/
as soon as I find his email address.
Hamlet’s Non-Epicurean Alternatives
Mr William Shakespeare gave Hamlet only two false alternatives: “to be or not to be”, to live miserably (as quoted in my previous post) or to take one”s life (“he himself might his quietus make with a bare bodkin”).
He concludes that people fear death, because they don’t know “what dreams may come in that sleep of death” so they prefer to continue their miserable lives: ”the dread of something after death – the undiscover’d country from whose bourn no traveler returns – puzzles the will and makes us rather bear those ills we have than fly to others that we know not of”.
Mr Hamlet has unfortunately never been told anything about the Epicurean choice of a happy life in the circle of friends.
quiz question of the day
“Who will bear the whips and scorns of time,the oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,the pangs of despis’d love, the law’s delay,the insolence of office, and the spurns,that patient merit of the unworthy takes,[…]Who would fardels bear,to grunt and sweat under a weary life?”
What’s your answer?
I have just asked this on Facebook and I am very curious what answers Epicurus’s friend will come up with.
http://www.facebook.com/stressfreedomguide?v=wall&ref=profile#!/pages/Epicurus/79493658728
I will give mine, too – after a while.
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