Why You Shouldn't Die or Give Up Philosophy

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I don't think most people can die rather than sell out their values. There are some things that are so important to us that if we didn't follow through on them, we couldn't live with ourselves. I do think that that's it's a beautiful description of friendship and what it can, what we will do for one another. It would have to be a remarkably close friend. But yeah, not normal. Like not for the the door dash delivery guy or Yeah. Well, yeah, we'll hope it doesn't come up.

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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