Epicureanism

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Epicureanism Stoicism

• Honors 2101, Fall 2006
• Bryan Benham

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Outline

• From Hellenism to Rome
• Epicureanism
• Stoicism
• Comparisons

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From Hellenism to Rome

• Classical Athens Rational Humanism
• Power and stability of democratic city-state
• Critical assessment of individual community
• Individual defined by capacity to reason
• Aim at good society, good life via reason
• Hellenistic Society Cosmopolitanism
• Political instability, monarchy, cultural
  expansion
• Value of individual community put into question
• Issues related to alienation, fatalism, and virtue

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Hellenistic Age (c. 323-30 BCE)

• Decline of Athens (c. 404)
• Rise of Macedon
• Philip (d. 336) Alexander
• Death of Alexander (323)
• Aristotle dies 322
• Hellenism
• Alexandria cultural center
• Fusion of peoples
• Stoicism Epicureanism
• Mystery Religions
• Roman Ascension
• Roman Republic (509-133)
• Collapse of Republic (133-30)
• Roman Empire (30 BCE- 180 CE)

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Alexander the Great (r. 336-323)

• Succeeded his father, Philip II at age 20
• Philip II unites Macedonia
• Philip II defeats Athens and Thebes
• Plans to invade Persia, assassinated on eve of
  campaign
• Invaded Asia Minor with 37,000 in 334
• Defeated Persian fleet on Asia Minor coast,
  without a navy.
• Advanced to Egypt, made Pharaoh, founded
  Alexandria
• Pursued Darius III (Persians) into Mesopotamia
• Victory at Tigris when outnumbered by Persians
• Bablyon surrenders
• Reached northern India, defeated King Porus
• Alexanders army resisted further advance
• Returned to Babylon, planned next campaign
  (China?)
• Died of a fever May 29, 323 BCE (left one son,
  Alexander IV)
• Alexanders generals carve up empire
• Ptolemy in Egypt
• Seleucus in Near East/Asia Minor
• Antigonus in Macedonia and Greece

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Epicureanism

• Epicurus (341-271 BCE)
• A life devoted to worldly happiness based on
  materialist account of nature.
• Encouraged withdrawal from political life into
  communities of like-minded individuals (Gardens
  in Athens)
• Rational humanism, influence on Romans, revived
  in 16th/17th century with rise of science and
  renaissance humanism.

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Epicureanism

• Materialism (Atomism)
• All things are atoms void shape size
• Atoms are eternal (nothing from nothing),
  universe is boundless
• Ethics
• Aim eudaimonia happiness is a mind free from
  disturbance (ataraxia) and a body free from pain.
• Means fear and ignorance cause disturbances in
  mind and body, so ataraxia achievable by
  understanding the true nature of things removal
  of source of fear and disturbance.

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Body free from pain

• Pleasure and pain natural and necessary
  sensations
• Can reduce pain by avoiding painful things
• Increase pleasure by pursuing pleasurable things.
• But, a prudent life (virtuous) tells us not all
  pleasure is good, nor all pain bad.
• Moderation in pursuit of pleasure and avoidance
  of pain
• Friendship and other social/intellectual
  pleasures included.
• Moderate Hedonism

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What causes fear? The gods

• Fear punishment and arbitrary interference
• a type of superstitious belief
• But, gods are immortal and blessed,
• Not celestial bodies aiming to pass judgment
• Not vengeful
• Only concerned with their own domain, not humans.
• So, no need to fear gods

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What causes fear? Death

• Fear the pain and misery of life after death.
• Either the punishment or dreary life of death
• But, death is nothing but cessation of life.
• Atomism (death is separation of body and soul
  only through body is sensation possible
  dissolution of material components, including
  soul.
• So, in life there is no death in death there is
  no life to be concerned with.

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Lucretius (98- 55 BCE)

• Roman expositor of Epicurean philosophy
• Not much known about his life, other than he was
  a poet and philosopher
• De Rerum Natura
• Influential as exposition
• Also poetic style and form

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In this life

• The banquet
• Lucretius pp. 598-99
• Death is nothing
• Lucretius, pp. 596-98
• Hell is in our lives
• Lucretius, pp. 600-01 (Hell is in our lives)
• And, knowledge of the nature of things
• Lucretius, p. 602

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Stoicism

• Origins
• Zeno of Citium (333-264 BCE)
• Chrysippus (280-270 BCE)
• Epictetus (130-50 BCE)
• Seneca (3-65 CE)
• Marcus Aurelius (121-180 CE)
• A life resigned to fate, acknowledging limits
  of self-control and obligations of duty. Aiming
  for a tranquility of mind and evenness of
  emotional life.
• Extremely influential in Roman era, as well as in
  early Church doctrine.

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Stoicism

• Aim to achieve a tranquility of mind (ataraxia)
  and emotional stability (apathe)
• Means to understand the nature of things
• Understand what is or isnt under ones control
• No control over the events of life, but ones
  reaction to those events
• So, reason-guided life in accord with the nature
  of things
• Precepts
• Fatalism world determined by divine providence
• Conventionalism in moral action and social
  responsibility, including modesty
• Cosmopolitanism reason is divine spark that
  unites individuals

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Marcus Aurelius (121-180 CE)

• Roman military and political leader
• Reigned 161-180 CE
• last of the Five Good Emperors who governed the
  Roman Empire from 96 to 180, and is also
  considered one of the most important stoic
  philosophers.
• Meditations are stoic maxims to himself, a diary
  of a ruler
• written on campaign between 170-180, is still
  revered as a literary monument to a government of
  service and duty and has been praised for its
  "exquisite accent and its infinite tenderness."

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Meditations

• Ideal Man (Antonius Pius)
• pp. 827-28 what are the qualities of his father
  that Aurelius holds in esteem?
• Fatalism
• p. 831 (VI.1) p. 832 (X.2) p. 833 (XII.)
• Death
• p. 829 (II.2) p. 830 (IV.) pp. 831-32 (VII.)
• Duty and Virtue
• pp. 828-29 (II.1) pp. 829-30 (III.1) o, 830-31
  (V.1) p. 832 (X.1 .3)

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Archer Simile(apathe)

• A wise man is like an archer who cares less about
  actually hitting the target than about doing his
  best to hit it wisdom includes understanding the
  difference. (apathê)
• So, if a perfectly wise man saw his child in
  danger of drowning he would try to save the
  child but if he failed (or succeeded) he would
  accept this without feeling distress or pity (or
  pride or relief), and without his happiness being
  diminished (or enhanced).
• Moral virtue is the only good, wickedness the
  only evil childs death or survival is not a
  good or an evil so long as the wise man tried
  his best, he has nothing to regret.

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Philosophy Comparisons
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Thoughts

• We have looked at four different views of the
  good or virtuous life Plato, Aristotle,
  Epicureanism, Stoicism.
• If you had to pick one of the four, which would
  you favor? Why?
• Are there any contemporary parallels with any of
  these four views?

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Some Paper Topics

• Both Epicureans and Stoics think fear of death is
  irrational and contrary to a good life. Pick one
  and describe how that school view death and its
  relation to a good life. Compare this view with
  another view we have discussed in the course? Are
  there any interesting contemporary parallels or
  alternatives?
• Epicureanism has been accused of being a
  materialistic and thus hedonistic view of life.
  Is this true? Evaluate the virtues of a
  hedonistic life. Is it all good or all bad?
  Explain.
• Stoicism emphasizes a resignation to fate, but
  they dont believe everything is up to fate.
  Explain what is not under control of fate and why
  this is important for the Stoic view of the good
  life. Do you agree with the Stoics? How do they
  compare to other views of fate we have come
  across in our readings?