Rehabilitating Epicurianism

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Epicurianism is a way of living that focuses on pleasure over the long term. The best pleasures for Epicurus were pleasures we have with friends, writes Emily Chang. "I think it would be good for everyone if we replace our reverence for stoicism with a reverence for Epicurianism," she says.

The Greek philosopher Epicurus made a rather bold claim over two thousand years ago. The key to life, he said, was simple: pursue pleasure and avoid pain. Around this maxim he developed a school of philosophy, Epicureanism, which promised its adherents that if they took care of their basic needs, surrounded themselves with trustworthy friends, and developed a basic understanding of science, they would be happy. But is it really that simple? Can the advice of someone born 2,363 years ago still hold true? To answer these questions, we turned to Emily Austin, professor of philosophy at Wake Forest University and author of the delightful new book "Living for Pleasure: An Epicurean Guide to Life.”

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