Epicurean solutions for our burning problems – Prof. Hossenfelder’s views (3): how science can produce more happiness

August 24, 2009 · Filed Under Epicurean Happiness Guidance, Epicurean solutions, happiness-boosters, sustainability · Comment

Malte Hossenfelder sees Epicurus’s topicality also in the Epicurean approach to science. For Epicurus science was a tool to achieve happiness directly through stress-FREEDOM: the role of science was to liberate the stressFREEDOM seekers from irrational fears and at the same time to furnish knowledge directly relevant to live a happy life.

We use science to subdue and overexploit nature, to produce unnecessary products and awake a sense of greed for these products in the belief that all this process will lead us finally indirectly to happiness.

Taking the direct way would be more efficient for us and more sustainable for nature’s resources. The Epicurean approach results in a faith in nature’s laws that work independently of our wishes and desires and therefore we needn’t care or worry about them, even if some of our theories prove to be false. “How could be a man disturbed by a failure, if he’s free from ambition and fears neither death nor pains?” states Hossenfelder.

Hossenfelder doesn’t say this but any Epicurean (and many others) would agree to it: science should primarily do the following:

develop ways for producing more food with less effort
develop more efficient medicines with less side effects
develop better housing solutions for more people

and communicate its accomplishments in such a way that food-, health- and housing-specialists can apply the findings.

Tags: Epicurean, Epicurus, happiness, Malte Hossenfelder, natural resources, overexploitation, science, sustainability

Epicurean solutions for our burning problems – Prof. Hossenfelder’s views (2): needs-based economy for more happiness

August 22, 2009 · Filed Under Epicurean Happiness Guidance, Epicurean solutions, happiness-boosters, sustainability · Comment

Malte Hossenfelder sees Epicurus’s topicality in the first place in the fact that the economy propagated by Epicurus and practiced by his followers for 800 years was a needs-based economy. Practicing it today would eliminate two of the major problems we are facing:

a.The overexploitation of natural resources:

Epicurus’s taught that power, status and material wealth arte not relevant for a happy life. The Epicurean communities had been practicing the frugal, needs-based economical way of life they learned from Epicurus and were happy with it. They professed and practiced sustainability for 800 years. Living in a needs-based economy we wouldn’t have to worry about our natural resources or climate change. We could lead far more stressFREE and thus happier lives.

b. The social tensions between rich and poor

Tahe social tensions between rich and poor are at the heart of numerous conflicts and collisions that would disappear – or at least significantly decrease – if people lived according to Epicurus’s teachings. Instead of producing more for the richer, we could share our resources with the poorer thus reducing antagonisms and thereby also stress.