Are We Being Altruistic or Pleasure Seeking?

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A lot of Epicureanism is figuring out how to deal with that vulnerability strategically. Richard Dawkins wrote this book, The Selfish Gene, which argues that altruism is an illusion. More recently, neuroscientists have done studies where they've hooked people up to MRIs and have them perform supposedly selfish acts like making anonymous charitable donations.

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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