Examining Epicurean Ethics

In 45 BC, amid the turmoil of the Roman Civil War, Cicero wrote one of philosophy's most important works on the meaning of life. This episode unpacks Book I of "On Ends," exploring the clash between Epicurean pleasure-seeking and Stoic virtue.

(01:14) Meeting Cicero

(06:18) Latin over Greek 

(11:40) On Ends Core Debates 

(16:03) Cicero attacks

(20:44) Why Pleasure isn't Everything 

(27:28) The Epicurean Response 

(31:29) Must Virtue Produce Something More? 

(46:53) The Epicurean View of Community 

(53:38) The Epicurean sage

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