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    Hellenistic Philosophy: Stoicism, Epicureanism, Hedonism, and Cynicism

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    Danielle John V. Malonzo
    This document provides an overview of Epicurean philosophy as founded by Epicurus in Ancient Greece. Some key points: 1) Epicurus focused on achieving tranquility and conquering the fear of death by explaining that death meant the dissolution of atoms and nothing more, with no awareness or sensation in death. 2) He used Democritus' atomic theory to explain that atoms naturally move and occasionally "swerve," causing collisions and combinations that lead to the emergence of life without the need for a prime mover. 3) For Epicurus, pleasure was the ultimate good, but referred more to a state of tranquility and absence of pain rather than fleeting pleasures. Happiness came from a simple

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    Hellenistic Philosophy: Stoicism, Epicureanism, Hedonism, and Cynicism

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    Danielle John V. Malonzo
    155 views14 pages
    This document provides an overview of Epicurean philosophy as founded by Epicurus in Ancient Greece. Some key points: 1) Epicurus focused on achieving tranquility and conquering the fear of death by explaining that death meant the dissolution of atoms and nothing more, with no awareness or sensation in death. 2) He used Democritus' atomic theory to explain that atoms naturally move and occasionally "swerve," causing collisions and combinations that lead to the emergence of life without the need for a prime mover. 3) For Epicurus, pleasure was the ultimate good, but referred more to a state of tranquility and absence of pain rather than fleeting pleasures. Happiness came from a simple

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    This document provides an overview of Epicurean philosophy as founded by Epicurus in Ancient Greece. Some key points: 1) Epicurus focused on achieving tranquility and conquering the fear of death by explaining that death meant the dissolution of atoms and nothing more, with no awareness or sensation in death. 2) He used Democritus' atomic theory to explain that atoms naturally move and occasionally "swerve," causing collisions and combinations that lead to the emergence of life without the need for a prime mover. 3) For Epicurus, pleasure was the ultimate good, but referred more to a state of tranquility and absence of pain rather than fleeting pleasures. Happiness came from a simple

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    155 views14 pages

    Hellenistic Philosophy: Stoicism, Epicureanism, Hedonism, and Cynicism

    Uploaded by

    Danielle John V. Malonzo
    This document provides an overview of Epicurean philosophy as founded by Epicurus in Ancient Greece. Some key points: 1) Epicurus focused on achieving tranquility and conquering the fear of death by explaining that death meant the dissolution of atoms and nothing more, with no awareness or sensation in death. 2) He used Democritus' atomic theory to explain that atoms naturally move and occasionally "swerve," causing collisions and combinations that lead to the emergence of life without the need for a prime mover. 3) For Epicurus, pleasure was the ultimate good, but referred more to a state of tranquility and absence of pain rather than fleeting pleasures. Happiness came from a simple

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    Hellenistic Philosophy

    Stoicism, Epicureanism, Hedonism,


    and Cynicism
    Hellenistic Age
    • After Aristotle, Greece underwent cultural and
    political turmoil.
    • The Peloponnesian war eventually started,
    and after the death of Alexander the Great (a
    student of Aristotle), Greece was under the
    influence of the Roman Empire.
    • Schools of philosophy then focused into the
    inquiry of the Self, rather than of nature.
    Epicurus
    • Epicurus of Samos was once a student of
    Democritus, but then later founded his own
    school in Athens called The Garden
    • Unlike in other schools, women and even
    slaves were allowed in The Garden, where
    they would live in seclusion, away from the
    busy city-state of Athens.
    Epicureanism
    • Epicurus was best known for his pursuit of
    tranquillity or the “good life” by vanquishing
    our fear of death.
    • So how do we do it? Epicurus used his former
    teacher Democritus’ atomist theory to explain.
    Recap of the Atomic Theory
    • According to Democritus, all things are
    comprised of atoms and void.
    • The atoms move around the void (which is
    empty space), and some of them collide or
    even merge with each other.
    • But how did they start moving in the first
    place? Was there no first mover?
    Epicurean Atomism
    • Epicurus said that atoms are weighted, thus,
    they naturally move downward.
    • In order to explain how atoms have collided
    with each other, there was the “swerve”. At
    random times, some atoms would move in
    other directions.
    • This was a preliminary to DETERMINISM and
    FREE-WILL.
    Epicurean Atomism
    • Spirits, like any other thing, are also made up
    of atoms, though only smaller and subtler.
    Gods exist according to Epicurus, and they too
    are made up of atoms but they are located
    someplace that dissolution of atoms is
    possible. Thus, Gods have nothing to do with
    human beings. It is a waste of time, and belief
    in such is mere superstition.
    • “Death is nothing to us. When we exist, death is
    not; and when death exists, we are not. All
    sensation and consciousness ends with death and
    therefore in death there is neither pleasure nor
    pain. The fear of death arises from the belief that
    in death, there is awareness.”
    • Death is nothing more than the dissolution of
    atoms. There is no pain, no nothing in death. Why
    fear it then?
    Epistemology
    • He was interested in physics that were
    intertwined with ethics. He was an empiricist,
    placing emphasis on the importance of sense-
    experience, and rejected rational products
    such as mathematics, of which he deemed
    useless in the advent of living.
    • Truth, to Epicurus, is actually attainable!
    • Sense-perception, the basis of all knowledge,
    is never wrong; only when there is an error in
    judgment can we say that what we sense is
    false.
    • You cannot reject every information that the
    senses tell you; you will have no reference
    point.
    Epicurean Ethics
    • Pleasure for Epicurus, is the be-all and end-all
    of man. Pleasure is sought by all, since
    everyone can feel pleasure.
    • The absence of pain is also pleasure, and this
    is what must be sought after, rather than
    heightened positive feelings.
    • Pleasure should not be a short, temporary
    thing. It should last a lifetime.
    Pleasure
    • Kinetic Pleasure is what • Static pleasure on the
    most people think of other hand, is tranquil
    when they hear the state of not having to
    word pleasure. satisfy our desires.
    • Eating samgyupsal • After eating samgyup,
    when you’re not even you’re not hungry; you
    that hungry, is a form of feel normal – this is
    kinetic pleasure. static pleasure.
    Pleasure
    • When you are experiencing static pleasure,
    there is no need to heighten it using kinetic
    pleasure.
    • Pleasure in itself is not bad, but there might
    be problems on what causes such pleasure.
    • Pain is also sometimes important, but only to
    the point where it will be beneficial, or in this
    case, pleasurable afterwards
    • Epicurean happiness then, is a life
    filled with pleasure brought
    about by simplicity, temperance,
    and moderation.

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