Navigating Pleasure: Aristippus and the Cyrenaics

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

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