The Epicurean Strategy for Dealing With Misfortune

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The Epicureans thought that one of the most important things we can do, especially for dealing with misfortune, but just for living our lives is to make as many memories as we can of a joyful sort. And he thought that this was one of the best ways to deal with misfortune because unlike the Stoics, right, the Epicureans can't say that misfortune is part of God's divine plan. Right. Misfortune is something that can happen to us for no reason and for no purpose. But it does mean that we need some strategies for dealing with it. One of the best ones for Epicurus is to reflect on all these joyful memories that we have. Once you focus on

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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