Delving into Epicurus's key teachings on living a good life, the podcast discusses the divine's calm nature, the irrelevance of death, pleasure as absence of pain, brief bodily discomfort, and the importance of virtuous living for a pleasant life.
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God's Indifference to Humans
Epicurus teaches that God exists but is indifferent to humans and does not intervene in their lives.
This removes the need for fear of divine punishment or the practice of praying for favors.
insights INSIGHT
Death Means Nothing to Us
Death is nothing to fear because we cease to exist after death as our atoms disperse.
Since sensation depends on the body, no self remains to experience anything after death.
insights INSIGHT
Pleasure As Absence of Pain
The highest pleasure for Epicurus is the absence of pain, not the presence of intense pleasure.
This redefinition of pleasure as lack of pain sparked significant debate among ancient and modern scholars.
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“The blessed and indestructible being of the divine has no concerns of its own, nor does it make trouble for others. It is not affected by feelings of anger or benevolence, because these are found where there is lack of strength.
Death means nothing to us, because that which has been broken down into atoms has no sensation and that which has no sensation is no concern of ours.
The quantitative limit of pleasure is the elimination of all feelings of pain. Wherever the pleasurable state exists, there is neither bodily pain nor mental pain nor both together, so long as the state continues.
Bodily pain does not last continuously. The peak is present for a very brief period, and pains that barely exceed the state of bodily pleasure do not continue for many days. On the other hand, protracted illnesses show a balance of bodily pleasure over pain.
It is impossible to live the pleasant life without also living sensibly, nobly, and justly, and conversely it is impossible to live sensibly, nobly, and justly without living pleasantly. A person who does not have a pleasant life is not living sensibly, nobly, and justly, and conversely the person who does not have these virtues cannot live pleasantly.”
Practical Wisdom