The Skilled Hedonism of Aristippus and His Legacy

Meet ancient Greece's original hedonist.

Unlike later philosophers who preached asceticism, Aristippus embraced luxury, courted kings, and still kept his freedom. A student of Socrates who chose pleasure over asceticism, he founded a school of thought that spread through generations of his family. This conversation explores how Aristippus balanced the pursuit of pleasure with self-mastery, challenging both the austerity of his critics and our modern assumptions about ancient philosophy.

(05:11) Wining And Dining 

(15:29) Desire and Risk 

(21:49) You Need Philosophy 

(25:42) The Cyrenaics 

(36:38) Respect Aristippus's Consistency

(41:54) His Daughter and Rejecting Social Convention

***

Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe

Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): https://stoameditation.com/pod

If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we'll set you up with a free account.

Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/

Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/