Handbook Contents

Classical Epicurean Philosophy is a worldview that rejects many commonplace assumptions of other philosophies, including the prevailing views of "pleasure," "gods," "virtue," and even "good and evil." In Epicurean terms, pleasure embraces much more than sensory stimulation, "gods" exist but are not supernatural, and it is important to act "virtuously," but "virtue" is not desirable as an end it itself, but as a means of obtaining pleasure. Likewise, "Good" and "evil" are not abstract absolutes, but are ultimately evaluations based on sensations of pleasure and pain felt by real living things. "Practical Reason" is held to be essential for living wisely, but "dialectical logic" is rejected as misleading. It is a major goal of EpicureanFriends to explore Epicurean terminology in these and other areas so we can appreciate the philosophy as the ancient Epicureans understood it. For more on terminology and similar topics, check out our FAQ page. We also particularly recommend Episode 222 of the Lucetius Today Podcast where we discuss key terminology issues surrounding "happiness" and "pleasure" and "virtue."

In order to clarify the distinctive aspects of Classical Epicurean Philosophy for both new readers and regular members alike, we place special emphasis on a number of the most central aspects of Epicurean doctrine. These points include:

We also have a longer Foundations of Epicurean Philosophy document, written in progressive narrative form, which is based closely on the ancient texts and contains much more detail.

Epicurean philosophy is generally divided into Physics, Canonics, and Ethics, and we organize our forums along similar lines. The following subsections incorporate the eleven areas of focus listed above into the larger context of the field of Epicurean Philosophy where they are found:

1. Physics¶

Epicurus erected his entire philosophy upon his understanding that the universe is composed of and governed by elemental particles moving through space. Our Physics forum is the place to discuss the nature of the universe, including all things within it, includes the natural "gods" which are part of it.

1.1. General Principles of Physics¶

A full list of the General Principles of Epicurean Physics contains many more details about the nature of atoms and void, such as:

"Atoms" (Indivisible Particles) Moving Through Void Are The Natural Building Blocks Of The Universe. The Properties Of Atoms are shape, size, and weight. Atoms move in cetain ways, but they also have the capacity to swerve at no fixed time or place, and this leads to the Rejection of Determinism. Void Is the space within which atoms exist and move.

"Bodies" are combinations of atoms and void. Bodies have properties and qualities, and give rise to emergence and events

1.2. Nothing Can Be Created From Nothing¶

A major conclusion of Epicurus is that through observation we see evidence and can conclude that nothing can be created from nothing. Together with the observation that nothing is ever destroyed completely to nothing, these deducions lead us to conclude that the Universe Is Eternal In Time, that the The Universe Is Boundless (Infinite In Size). We also conclude that the Universe Contains Life On Other Worlds.

1.3. Nature Has No Gods Over Her¶

A second major conclusion is that the universe contains Nothing supernatural. This means that Nature has no gods over her, and it also means that there are no supernatural forms or essences or other natures -- all that exists is composed of atoms and void. Corollory conclusions are that there is nothing above or outside the universe.

1.4. Nature Teaches Us Not Assign To Gods Anything That Is Inconsistent With Incorruption Or Blessedness¶

Although there are no supernatural gods, Epicurus concluded that gods of a sort do exist. These gods are not supernatural, and are not omnipotent or omniscient, but instead we are led by Nature to conceive of such beings. When we study the universe and compare our conceptions to what we observe here on earth about the best modes of life, we conclude that we expect the universe to contain beings which have achieved perfect happiness and deathlessness. We do not observe these beings on earth, but we can reasonably speculate that they do exist, and we can benefit from thinking about the nature of godlike beings, which causes us to realize that we have nothing to fear from them, and that such thoughts are beneficial to our own happiness.

1.5. Death is Nothing To Us¶

Epicurean physics teaches us that all bodies which come together as a result of atoms moving through void eventually break apart, as a result of which we conclude that the human sould is born and dies with the human body. While the fact of death is of great concern to our plans and conduct of life, the state of "being dead" is nothing(ness) to us, as our souls or consciousness do not survive, and we end all awareness at death.

1.6. There Is No Necessity To Live Under the Control of Necessity¶

Epicurus is reputed throughout history for his strong Rejection of Determinism. Epicurus wrote in his letter to Menoeceus that it would be better to live under false ideas of the gods than it would be to live believing that we have no control at all over our actions or our future.

2. Canonics¶

Canonics, often known as "epistemology," is closely related to physics. At the same time that we observe and derive our conclusions about the nature of the universe, we must examine what it means to "know" anything. What is truth? What is real? Is confidence in knowledge (or "certainty") possible? These are issues discussed in our Canonics forums, where we do not focus as much on "what" is true, but "how do we know what is true?"

2.1. General Principles of Canonics¶

The principles of Canonics are discussed in more detail in our General Principles of Epicurean Canonics section, and are reconstructed from the Key Citations In Canonics that remain from the ancient world.

2.2. He Who Says "Nothing Can Be Known" Knows Nothing¶

Epicurus was a strong opponent of skepticism in philosophy, and he opposed both radical skeptics like Pyrrho and those like Plato who focused on arguing that the senses are not reliable sources of knowledge. Epicurus held that Knowledge is possible, and that through knowledge we can learn how to attain happiness.

2.3. All Sensations Are True¶

Epicurus held that truth is grounded in the sensations, and that we must accept that all sensations are true - not "true" in the literal sense that every glimpse of light gives us complete knowledge of the world, but true in the sense of honestly reported without injection of opinion. Epicurus held that errors occur in the mind, in putting together and reaching conclusions about what the sensations are telling us, not in the sensations themselves, which report basic data but do not tell us what that data means.

Epicurus held that the Natural Faculties are (1) The Anticipations Or "Prolepsis", (2) The Five Senses, and (3) The Faculty Of Pleasure And Pain. Epicurus held that Illusions Do Not Invalidate The Senses, and that we must consider not only what the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and sense of touch tell us, but also what our minds receive directly in the form of Images from the outside world.

Epicurus taught that we should defer to the Priority Of Nature Over "Logic," and that we should reject "Dialectic" as a source of knowledge. He taught the importance of Practical Deductive Reasoning, of Clarity, and of "Waiting" before making a decision where multiple possibilities that are consistent with observation support different conclusions. Epicurus held that in some cases we cannot obtain certainty and the elmination of all but one possibilities, so we must at times allow that Multiple Possibilities may be true. The selection of one possibility among many, when many are equally supported by the evidence, is therefore seen as arbitrary and capricious.

3. Ethics¶

Ethics is the application of Physics and Canonics to determine the best way to live.

3.1. General Principles Of Ethics¶

Consult Our Epicurean Ethics page for much more detail, or read discussions about the subject in our Ethics forums. Some of the most important principles of Epicurean Ethics are:

3.2. Virtue Is Not Absolute Or An End In Itself. All Good And Evil Consists in Sensation.¶

In contrast to almost every other school of philosophy, Epicurus held that virtue Is not absolute or an end in itself. Epicurus held that virtue Is not the same for all people, times, and places, and instead virtue should be considered to be action which is instrumental to achieving a life of Pleasure.

The Epicurean texts contain much discussion of how to view such virtues as: Piety (the proper attitude toward divinity), Prudence, Friendship, Courage, Justice, Honesty, Confidence, Benevolence, Temperance, Considerateness, Hope, Independence / Self Sufficiency, Memory And Presence of Mind, Proper Political And Social Relations, Gratitude, Health of Mind, Health of Body.

Pleasure Is The Guide of Life (The Highest Good)

Epicurus' conclusions as to Pleasure being the highest good, and the guide of life, are among his most controversial. This topic is discussed at length, with citations, here.

By "Pleasure We Mean All Experience That Is Not Painful

The topic includes the Epicurean meaning of the word "Pleasure," in which the term "pleasure" is an exact equivalent and interchangeable with "Absence of Pain." We conclude this because there are only two feelings, pleasure and pain, and when we are not experiencing the one we are by definition experiencing the other. That means that if we are aware of our experience at all, what we are aware of is either Pleasure or Pain, and as a result there is no neutral or third or mixed state of awareness. We can of course be aware of any number of things simultaenously, but each discrete experience is viewable as either pleasurable or painful.

The topic also includes the Desirability of pleasure, why we sometimes choose pain and avoid pleasure, the relationship and relative ranking of mental vs. bodily pleasure and pain, the implications of the fact that pleasures differ In duration, intensity, and part of the body affected, the Quantitative "Limit" in total pleasure,

Under this topic we also discuss the complementary doctrine that Pain is undesirable, but that pain is manageable because if pain is intense it is generally short, if pain is long it is manageable, and if pain becomes for some reason unendurable, then pain can be escaped through death.

3.3. Life Is Desirable, But Unlimited Time Contains No Greater Pleasure Than Limited Time¶

Epicurus held that Life is desirable, because it affords the opportunity for pleasure. However there are times when we will give our life for a friend, or we will accept death as the better alternative when living on would mean more pain than pleasure.

The observation that pleasure cannot be made more complete than complete (than when we experience nothing but pleasure without any adulteration of pain) leads us to realize that Infinite Time Contains No Greater Pleasure Than A Limited Time. This is because while it is certainly true that pleasure is greater in duration when we live longer, pleasure cannot be made more complete than complete, and duration is not the only factor involved in measuring pleasure. Epicurus wrote to Menoeceus that the wise man at a banquet choose not the most food, but the best, and held that our desire should not be for the longest life, but the most pleasant. The determination of what is "most pleasant" is not an objective measurement, but instead must take into account all circumstances of life, including not only duration but also the intensity and part of the body affected by pleasure and pain. If we take Epicurus' advice to heart, we see that nothing can be made more complete than that which is complete, and that "variation" - or the continuous adding-on of new pleasurable experiences, cannot make our lives more complete any more than continuously adding water to a jar can make the jar hold more water.

Under this topic we discuss the nature of the best life, and the question of How Long Should We Seek To Live?