Philosopher, Physicist, Scholar (341 BC – 270 BC)
Epicurus was the founder of the Epicurean school of philosophy. While his teachings in physics are largely similar to those of Democritus concerning the atom and the parallel worlds, Epicurus’ key concepts in his philosophy were hedonism and eudaimonia. He was also involved with metaphysics, ethics and epistemology. His philosophy had wide acceptance, even after his own death.
Epicurus came from Samos. He settled in Athens where he purchased land and founded “The Garden”, a philosophic school which put Epicurus’ teachings into practice. Men and women were equally accepted as students there, as well as hetaerae, a fact that misled some people to believe that they conducted orgies.
Epicurus’ teachings on physics were largely inspired by those of the Atomists. As Cicero said: “Is there anything in Epicurus’ physics which does not come from Democritus?”. He believed that atoms constituted the smallest structural unit of the universe. Everything tangible in this world, as well as the soul, is composed of atoms. Actions and events are the result of atoms colliding and entangling with each other forming presentations which we perceive as reality. Atoms exist in empty space called the void. Epicurus believed that nothing comes into existence from something that does not exist. As a result, the universe, which is made of countless atoms, has no beginning and no end; instead, it has always existed and will continue to for infinite time. The world, according to the philosopher, was ruled not by God, but by some sort of nature without logic, comprised of atoms. He was not an atheist, as many believed but he did not attribute certain beliefs to God as the majority falsely did. Epicurus also spoke about the existence of infinite parallel worlds.
Epicurus differentiated his atomic theory from Democritus in some points. He introduced the third characteristic of the atom, after the size and shape; the atomic weight. This he perceived as a necessary cause for the movement of the atom. All atoms have weight; some are heavier while others are lighter than others. This is the reason why some objects in the macrocosmos are heavier than others and vice-versa. Second, he believed that sensations and certain properties of the body are real, because these are capabilities that apply only to specific atoms that make up bodies. Hence, sensations give us information about the external world, based on which we make judgments through our thought. Thought depends on our senses to the extent that human intellect does not exist without first having existed in his senses. Third, Epicurus spoke about the swerve, a mechanical property of the atom concerning its motion.
Epicurus wrote about 300 books on his philosophical views on hedonism and eudaimonism, most of which survive only in fragments. According to him, the purpose of life is to live a happy life. Hedonism means pleasure and it is what humans attain for themselves through their actions. Everything that man does from the time he is born is to seek pleasure instinctively. However, Epicurus taught not about materialistic pleasure but about spiritual pleasure, the highest pleasures of all. This can be achieved by living a life of virtue and limiting one’s desires. Justice, prudence, fortitude and temperance are the virtues needed to live a happy life. Pleasure would ultimately be man’s reward of living a virtuous life. In addition, sciences such as philosophy, physics and logic are tools that provide happiness to man because it rids him of desires, fear and misconceptions. Friendship formed a very essential part of the Epicurean philosophy, as the philosopher placed great importance in this good.
The Epicurean philosophical system, including the atomic theory, metaphysics and ethics attempted not only to provide an explanation of the materialistic world, sensory physiology, human evolution and societies but most importantly to explore the nature of the soul, as did most ancient Greek philosophers. His teachings, which were put into practice aimed at making the soul virtuous.
Bibliography
- Konstan, David, “Epicurus”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2016 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.). Stanford.edu. Retrieved on December 18, 2016.
- Makrygiannis, Demetrios. Cosmology and Ethics of Democritus. Athens: Georgiades, 1999. Print.
- O’Keef, Tim. Epicurus. Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy. Iep.utm.edu. Web. Retrieved on December 18, 2016.
- Pleures, Konstantinos. Greek Philosophers. Athens: Hilektron Publications, 2014. Print.
