Three minute philosophy epicurus biography

Epicurus had suffered from kidney stones throughout much of his life. The different elements of his philosophy have been echoed in various thinkers and movements throughout Western intellectual history, including John Locke, John Stuart Mill, Karl Marx and Thomas Jefferson. Epicurus stated that death should hold no fears since it marked the end of consciousness and also the end of both pleasure and pain.

To explain the possibility of the collision of atoms moving at the same speed in empty space, he introduced the concept of "swerve," which was the spontaneous deviation of an atom from a straight line. However, he went on to say that the ideal state of calm could only be achieved when neither pain nor pleasure was being felt. Epicurus Greek materialist philosopher and atheist of the Hellenistic era.

He suffered from kidney stones and finally died in B. He thought that the greatest obstacles to happiness were fear of dying , fear of the future , and fear of divine wrath , which could be removed if nature was known. To say Epicurus did not believe in superstitions would be an understatement. At the age of 18, Epicurus served in the military for two years.

According to Epicurus, sensations are naively and materialistically explained as a continuous flow of the tiniest particles emanating from the surface of objects and entering the sense organs, thereby creating mental images of things. Obviously, this could not be achieved in a short time so it would take a great deal of concentrated effort and study to reach the desired result.

Epicurus had compiled roughly written works and mostly all of them are lost or only exist in fragments while some have been preserved due to the efforts of his followers. He taught for a couple of years at Mitilene on the island of Lesbos, but apparently caused riots and was forced to leave. Epicureanism was considered a reaction to Platonism and, more significantly, it was dubbed an opponent to stoicism.

Emphasizing friendship and freedom as important ingredients of happiness , the school resembled in many ways a community of friends who lived together, though Epicurus also instituted a hierarchical system of levels among his followers and made them swear upon its basic principles. Epicurus BC was a Greek philosopher, materialist, and atheist of the Hellenistic era.

Epicurus famous works

Contact About Privacy. He saw these activities as a way to consider the nature of the gods, but also as important in their own right for living a tranquil life. The location of his school was near both the Stoa and the Academy, both famous learning institutions at the time. Platonism was rooted very heavily in the philosophy of Plato and all its derivatives.

A philosophy rooted in the search for pleasure would be utterly removed from something as bland as stoicism.

How did epicurus die

He disagreed with the common view that divine punishment would be used against people who were evil but that the good would be rewarded. Epicurus remains one of the most recognized figures of Greek antiquity. His main objective was actually the absence of pain and suffering because he thought that when a person did not suffer pain, no pleasure was needed and the person entered a state of perfect peace of mind, which is the ultimate goal of human life.

Pleasure is often confused with pure hedonism, which is most certainly not what Epicurus was promoting. Epicurus was born on the island of Samos, an Athenian possession. In the theory of knowledge, Epicurus was a sensualist. Friendship was considered highly important in the Epicurean worldview, and so the philosopher encouraged his students to set up friendly communities.

There were hierarchies in the school, however, and levels of formal progression did exist. Art History U.