Product Description
Epicureanism is commonly regarded as the refined satisfaction of physical desires. As a philosophy, however, it also denoted the striving after an independent state of mind and body, imperturbability, and reliance on sensory data as the true basis of knowledge. Epicurus (ca. 341-271 B.C.) founded one of the most famous and influential philosophical schools of antiquity. In these remains of his vast output of scientific and ethical writings, we can trace Epicurus' views on atomism, physical sensation, duty, morality, the soul, and the nature of the gods. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Reviewing the book, not the philosophy
I am not qualified to weigh in on the merits of Epicurus' school of philosophy. As Westerners, we've decided over that two thousand years that his thoughts on death and pleasure and pain are profound and provocative.

What's important to the average reader though is whether this is the book you should pick up to learn about him. The short answer is yes, the longer one is that it is not enough.

The book has a fairly weak introduction that doesn't provide much context. The author would have been well-served to have included the entirety of Laertius' essay on Epicurus to which he dedicated a large portion to in his biography of great philosophers.

Otherwise, the translation is good and the organization is helpful. The book is structured like a college reader - no frills, thin paper and a drab cover. It has all of Epicurus' fragments, letters and writings. Unfortunately many of the best ones are cut off or lost so we have to make due with what is left.

A first time reader or student looking to introduce themselves to Epicurus could do worse than starting here. I often refer back to my copy.

Epicurus, not so great...
A disappointment. At first, I really liked his 'No pain' theorem, but after reading this book (which wasn't so greatly organized or collaborated), I discovered that, yes, perhaps he was looked down on by other Europeans because he elaborated on rather communist ideals. Personally, I like a few of his segments, but NOT his oeuvre en total. This book, either.

The Greek Buddha
Epicurus lived in the Athens of Plato.He attracted a host of followers to his preferred teaching place, a garden.There he taught them the ultimately anti-Platonic truths: this life is the only one, it is good, and the best way to live it is by maximizing stable pleasures.

Few philosophers have been more maligned and underappreciated.The Platonists and their ilk (the later Christians) found Epicurus' teachings too much focused on this world and not enough on the other.They thought he taught unalloyed hedonism and accused the Epicureans of wild orgies.Today, an Epicurean is thought of as an effete, wine-sipping decadent.All of these conceptions are completely wrong.

Starting with the truth that everything is made from the material of atoms (after Democritus), Epicurus determined that our consciousness must necessarily die with the death of our bodies.Since this is the only life it should be the sole focus of our efforts.In this mortal life we must maximize our pleasure and minimize our pain.Pleasure is defined as the avoidance of pain and the stabilization of comfort.The most reliable comforts are certainly not sex, drugs, rock and roll-all such things are unstable pleasures that lead to greater appetites.The best pleasures are those that can be controlled without much effort such as good friendship, good cheer, and an appreciation for the simple things.By avoiding epicurean dishes (our misreading) and satisfying our appetites with the most basic, most easily attainable foods, we sate our hunger.The full belly wants neither caviar nor black bread.Taking this principle to all other pleasures, Epicurus finds them easily satisfied.

Much of our turmoil is due to immaterial concerns, the attainment of more power, money, love, and the evasion of death.Epicurus shows, point-by-point, how these concerns can be wrestled into submission.Once the basic pleasures are met and one's anxieties are minimized life becomes simple and good.Before Christianity put non-Chrisitians under the sword, Epicureanism had become immensely popular and was constantly growing.It is time it resumed its natural course.

O'Connor's translations personify the philosopher himself-they are clear and elegant.This is an insightful, exciting, and pleasant read.

To Epicurus
The first to bring grain to uneasy mortals
in times past was the famous city of Athens
which made life anew and instituted laws:
And first brought delicious consolation to life
when she gave birth to the man of genius so extraordinary
that everything came from a mouth devoted to truth
so that, even though now he is dead, his divine discoveries
spread abroad, carrying his glory to the sky.

For when he saw that whatever men's needs demanded,
so far as may be, to keep their lives in safety,
was there at hand already for their use,
that men had all they could want in the way of wealth
and honor and praise, and pride in successful children;
Yet, at home each was perpetually disquieted
and the mind was enslaved by all its bitter complaints;
He understood that the trouble was in the container
and because of some flaw in it, everything would go bad
whatever excellent things were put into it:
Partly because there were holes and things flowed through them
and there was no possibility of filling it up;
And partly because what did get in was spoiled,
so to speak, by the nauseous taste there was inside.

The truth was what he used to purify hearts with
and he set a limit to fear as to desire;
He explained what it is that all of us really want
and showed us the way along a little path
which makes it possible for us to go straight there;
He showed what evils there are in human affairs
and how they were brought about by the force of nature,
popping up by change or because nature worked that way;
And he showed how best to face each of these difficulties
and proved that the human race was generally vain
in the way it ruminated in its gloomy thoughts.
For just as children are afraid of the dark
their elders are as often as not afraid in the light
of things which there is as little cause to fear
as those which children imagine to frighten themselves.
These grown-up terrors are also no more than shadows
and yet they are nothing that the sunlight can dissipate:
What is needed is the rational study of nature.

Who is skillful enough to produce an adequate poem
about the magnificent world and these discoveries about it?
Does anyone so use language that he can praise appropriately
the man who made these discoveries and left them for us?

Compare what he did with what the other gods did.

I follow you, nothing better has come out of Greece,
and now, where the print of your foot fell, I place my own,
not in jealous competition but out of love
which constrains me to imitate you. For does the swallow
set herself against swans? Or the wobbling kid
think that she should go as fast as a racehorse?
You discovered nature, father: you gave us instruction
and left the whole matter set out in your writings
where, just as bees help themselves in the meadows,
we can replenish ourselves with your golden sayings;
Golden, in that they are of permanent value.

As soon as your theory, the product of an intellect
something more than human, began to make some noise,
the fears that haunt minds disappeared, the walls of the world
gave way, and I saw through all space how everything happens...

By Lucretius
Written 50 B.C.E

The antidote to human stupidity and greed.
This book does not rely on a god or a saviour to lead a smart and fulfilling life.It relies soley on reason and what an effective use of it by epicurus!Most of epicurus works are either lost or destroyed, but this book contains his essential teachings.Epicurus did not deny the existance of the gods.This would make sense.If the universe is infinite as he says, then all possible things already exist in one way or another.According to epicurus one should live out his natural life, this would be prudent.This life is the only one you get.He writes that by being prudent ie; looking at both sides of an issue to find truth and getting only what you need, you can live a smart and happy life. After life is over one goes to eternal oblivion, free of all suffering forever.The ironic thing about epicurus is that he admits there are gods.If one reads what he writes carefully, one finds that one doesnt need to go to heaven or even to exist. Since it is not needed, one loses nothing.The same thing can be said for the wild goose chase, most people are engaged in for happiness.They want bigger houses, more expensive cars, more cash, etc. and instead of gaining happiness gain more misery.Why?Because the truth is you gain happiness by getting only what you need.Epicurus writes that those who are not satisfied with a little, will never be satisfied even with a lot or even infinity.The more you have above need, the more worry, headache and problems.This in no way is conducive to happiness.These writings are some of the most brilliant in the entire realm of philosophy.This book gets two thumbs up! ... Read more

Product Description
A total philosophy of life, death, religion, science, ethics, and culture promising liberation from the obstacles that stand in the way of our happiness, the teachings of Epicurus claimed many thousand committed followers all over the ancient Mediterranean world and deeply influenced later European thought. From the first years of its development, however, Epicureanism faced hostile opposition, and, as a result, much of our evidence for the content of this teaching is unhelpful and even misleading. "The Epicurus Reader" fills the need for a reliable selection and translation of the main surviving evidence, some of it never previously translated into English.Included here, with the exception of "Lucretius De Rerum Natura", are the most important surviving ancient texts of a system of thought that even today remains a powerful living philosophy. "The Epicurus Reader" will be greatly welcomed by anybody who teaches Hellenistic Philosophy, or Epicureanism in particular, at any level. It offers a judicious and ample selection of texts, including the only extant writings by Epicurus. More importantly it provides a reliable, often admirably accurate translation of these sometimes difficult texts. Finally, there is an introduction the general reader or the undergraduate will find very helpful. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great Text, Poor Translation
I'll be the first to admit the Random House/Modern Library translation is difficult for today's readers, but it is still superior to this compendium of Epicurean thought. That said, don't neglect the few texts we have of Epicurean thought -- once 36 volumes, now reduced to a "Vatican Library" -- perhaps because Epicurus was the first materialist, naturalist, and bona fide advocate of indifference to the gods.

An excellent, well presented translation
There are many people who believe that Epicurus is the author of the dominant school of philosophy in 21st Century Western Civilization.That might be true.Even though it's unlikely that the average American or Western European knows much about Epicurus, this ancient sage certainly expresses ideas that are held to a certain degree by many people today.

Certainly, Epicurus' thoughts were heard again in the writings of many thinkers of the Enlightenment Era, and any student of the late 17th and the 18th Centuries will take great interest in Epicurus' words.This little work could have, in fact, offered readers some passages from more modern philosophers to better help readers connect with Epicurus.I don't regard this as a flaw or fault however. The citations and excerpts from more ancient sources that are in this book are considerable for such a short book. This book delivers what it intends to, the works of Epicurus.

This translation is very readable.We don't have a lot of his writings, and this little work conveys what is extant in a language that is approachable.The addition of material excerpted from other sources is also well done, if not presented extensively enough.

An informative but much too enthusiastic introduction, one that turns into something of an endorsement, by D. S. Hutchinson should be read with respectful reservation.Do read carefully the many detractors of Epicureanism.Cicero's Nature of the Gods is a forceful response of great power not conveyed in this little volume's excerpts of that great work.The Stoics and Christians both fiercely rejected Epicurus' philosophy while generally agreeing that he was himself a man of great virtue and character.Plutarch, as the introduction also mentions, was also a harsh critic. So why did Epicurus' ideas receive so much bad press?Please do find out why.

An Eye Opener about Living with Eyes Open
Let me say at the outset that Epicurus is hard to understand because we have only fragments of his work.

Epicurus is important to people living in the third millenium because he realized, asmost of us do, that traditional religion is not very believable.

In his time the Hellenistic and Romanworld was about to fall into a morass of Eastern religions, spiritualism,and superstition familiar tothird millenium peopleliving amid Tibetan and Zen Buddhism, Wicca, and New Age.

Epicurus has two huge virtues that make him worth reading even now.

He is ferociously smart for one. Some of his insightsabout physical phenomena millenia before the invention of real scientificinstrumentsare astonishing.

The other is that he is unrelentingly honest and rigorous. His premise isthat we only know what we can find out from our senses and our reason. This is immensely liberating from all the causistry,tradition, authority, and sentiment of both culture and counter-culture.

To the ultimate rationalization for religion,"Well, it is a comfort for the simple." he responds, "Truthand honesty are better than comfort."Hedismissed death as nothing, and proved his point by showing legendarycourage in facing his own.

An Eye Opener about living with Eyes Open
Let me say at the outset that Epicurus is hard to understand because we have only fragments of his work.

Epicurus is important to people living in the third millenium because he realized, as most of us do, thattraditional religion is not very believable.

In his time the Hellenisticand Roman world was about to fall into a morass of Eastern religions,spiritualism, and superstition familiar to third millenium people livingamid Tibetan and Zen Buddhism, Wicca, and New Age.

Epicurus has two hugevirtues that make him worth reading even now.

He is ferociously smart forone. Some of his insights about physical phenomena millenia before theinvention of real scientific instruments are astonishing.

The other isthat he is unrelentingly honest and rigorous. His premise is that we onlyknow what we can find out from our senses and our reason. This is immenselyliberating from all the causistry, tradition, authority, and sentiment ofboth culture and counter-culture.

To the ultimate rationalization forreligion, "Well, it is a comfort for the simple." he responds,"Truth and honesty are better than comfort."He dismissed deathas nothing, and proved his point by showing legendary courage in facing hisown. ... Read more

Product Description
Hermann Karl Usener (1834-1905) published his monumental Epicurea in 1887. The volume is a collection of Epicurean texts and citations from a wide range of classical authors including Arrian, Cicero, Diodorus, Euripides, Plato and Seneca. The volume includes critical texts of Epicurus' most important letters: Letter to Menoeceus, Letter to Herodotus and Letter to Pythocles, preserved by the third-century compiler Diogenes Laertius. The letters give important summaries of Epicurus' philosophy. Usener's pioneering work represented the first attempt to deal critically with the manuscript traditions behind Epicurean texts. His reconstructions of the texts included in this volume are based on a thorough understanding of the trajectories of textual transmission. Each text is supported by a detailed critical apparatus, and another apparatus records manuscript glosses and scholia. This work provided for the first time accurate and reliable texts for the critical study of Epicureanism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An Eye Opener about Living with Eyes Open
Let me say at the outset that Epicurus is hard to understand because we have only fragments of his work. I also want to air my doubts about Amazon's listing Epicurus as the editor of this book rather than the author(Hello Amazon, anyone home?)

Epicurus is importantto people living in the third millenium because he realized, as most of usdo, that traditional religion is not very believable.

In his time the Hellenistic and Romanworld was about to fall into a morass of Eastern religions, spiritualism,and superstition familiar tothird millenium peopleliving amid Tibetan and Zen Buddhism, Wicca, and New Age.

Epicurus has two huge virtues that make him worth reading even now.

He is ferociously smart for one. Some of his insightsabout physical phenomena millenia before the invention of real scientificinstrumentsare astonishing.

The other is that he is unrelentingly honest and rigorous. His premise isthat we only know what we can find out from our senses and our reason. This is immensely liberating from all the causistry,tradition, authority, and sentiment of both culture and counter-culture.

To the ultimate rationalization for religion,"Well, it is a comfort for the simple." he responds, "Truthand honesty are better than comfort."Hedismissed death as nothing, and proved his point by showing legendarycourage in facing his own. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

A loving satire of Greek phylosophy, a simply beautiful book
Before Wolverine, before Thm Maxx, Sam Kieth drew this beautiful comic penned by future maxx cohort Bill Messner-Loebs. Epicurus is an aspiring philosophy teacher, coming to an Athens already chock full of his colleagues and befriending in the process Plat, Aristotheles and his pupil, a kid named Alexander, a Macedonian prince. Ring any bells? What foloows are tall tales that mix mythology and philosophy with flawless ease, poking fun at everything in the process and redeeming (and mocking, of course!) their very hero's teaching of moderation in the pursuit of the most basic and important of human nedds: pleasure. From Pithagoreans to Sophists, to Alcybiades and most of all a paradoxically pompous and vain Socrates, none is spared but also none is betrayed. The mythological tales narrated are adapted to their authors parodistic needs bu still true to tradition: Persephne's abduction by Hades and the birth of the seasonal cycle; Phaeton's run on the Sun's Chariot (includinga sort of detour with Homer and cassandra and a lightning fas re-telling of th Troyjan War); the many tales of Zeus' infidelities. The book is, as usual with Mr kieth, brilliatly drawn, with lots of quirky and super deformed characters and layouts. Messner -Loebs weaves wonderful tales and almost as an afterthought teaches you classical mtholog and philosoph. Most definitely recommended for all readers, whether you get all references or not: This book is simply too brilliant and fun to miss!

Fun read
For a old graphic novel, this was actually a pretty entertaining read. It's a retelling of the Greek myths but with more naughty humor along with modern-day references. The artwork and colors are pretty good for their time, and the stories within are entertaining (three of them altogether) along with some exploration of philosophy and mythology for a decent price make for a solid buy. I especially liked the Hades and Persephone tale - it was funny to see the idea that they eloped together and made it look like a kidnapping. ;)

Sam Keith Art
basically bought for Sam Keith's Artwork. not much interested in the story. art work is great!

If you like Keith or humorous stuff, you'll LOVE this
If you learned history of Greek phylosophy or live somewhere in south Europe, there is great possibility that you will love this one. It is a farce of historical and myth based stories. All of you who read Alan Ford, this is like His Highness Number One stories which he tells to bother others...

excellence .
I found this story to be smart, funny and somewhat insightful.However, I will say that a little knowledge of the philosophers and their philosophy will augment the hilarity tenfold. For instance, Plato constantly is making references to "a cave."If you are not familiar at all with Plato, there is no way to understand that humor.There are many other funny references and critiques of the philosopher's philosophy and I would have found it rather dull if not for my academic background in ancient philosophy. Yet, if you like Sam Keith's charecture sytle of art, then this book is a must. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Get it.You won't be sorry!
Unlike too many other books on the subject, Englert's book is readable, hitting the right balance between assuming the reader's background knowledge and explaining the roots of the school of thought.

Impressive!
Knew the author as a lad swinging through the "Little Everglades" at Stinson Beach and am not surprised he has come up with such a scholarly work.

Wally Englert is a great guy
While I have not actually read THIS book by Wally, I have read his Bryn Mawr commentary on Cicero's "Pro Caelio" and his version of "The Republic --" oh, I mean C.D.C. Reeve's version (wink, wink). Wally is my adviser at lovely Reed College in Portland, OR, and he hashelped me a lot in my development as a human being and a student.

Again,I haven't read this book exactly, but his writing style is very fluid andeasy to follow; his sense of humor shows through in his writing.So buythis book.You won't regret it

Wally Englert is God (or Jupiter)
Wally Englert is the greatest writer of all time.He has personally seen to it that the first line of "The Iliad" was recited by over 300 people.This may seem like a small task to you, but did you know "TheIliad" is recited in Ancient Greek?This is an impressive task.BigWally Englert is also the nicest man I know.He is a friend to bicyclistseverywhere, and always wears his bicycle helmet.He pretty much wrote theEnglish version of "The Republic."Classicists everywhere arelining up to copy off of him -- imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Come on, read this book!It'll make you feel good! ... Read more

Product Description
The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus (341-271/0 BCE) has attracted much contemporary interest. Tim O'Keefe argues that the sort of freedom which Epicurus wanted to preserve is significantly different from the 'free will' which philosophers debate today, and that in its emphasis on rational action, has much closer affinities with Aristotle's thought than with current preoccupations. His original and provocative book will be of interest to a wide range of readers in Hellenistic philosophy. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
Professor Rist's short introduction to the philosophy of Epicurus combines scholarship with clear exposition. All Greek in the text is translated, and discussion of more specialised problems of interpretation is relegated to appendices. In an account which mediates between the extremes of approval and opposition traditionally accorded to him, Epicurus emerges as an ideologist, a pragmatic philosopher whose most notable achievement perhaps was to reject much of the prevailing social ethos of Hellenism and assert the rights and claims of the individual against those of the community or state. ... Read more

Product Description
Epicurus, and his Roman disciple Lucretius, held that the primary cause of human unhappiness was an irrational fear of death. What is more, they believed that a clear understanding of the nature of the world would help to eliminate this fear; for if we recognize that the universe and everything in it is made up of atoms and empty space, we will see that the soul cannot possibly survive the extinction of the body—and no harm to us can occur after we die.
This liberating insight is at the core of Epicurean therapy.

In this book, Konstan seeks to show how such fears arose, according to the Epicureans, and why they persist even in modern societies. It offers a close examination of the basic principles of Epicurean psychology: showing how a system based on a materialistic world view could provide a coherent account of irrational anxieties and desires, and provide a therapy that would allow human beings to enjoy life to the fullest degree. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Kindle version is unreadable
The Kindle version of this book is almost entirely unreadable. There's no table of contents, the font changes size periodically for no discernible reason, the footnotes are interspersed with the text suddenly so you paragraphs jump from the text to a footnote to text again then back to the rest of that same footnote. It's a shame because it seems like an interesting book but obviously the publisher just did an OCR scan and called it the "Kindle" version ... Read more

Product Description
The philosophy of Epicurus (c. 341-271 B. C. E.), has been a quietly pervasive influence for more than two millennia. At present, when many long revered ideologies are proven empty, Epicureanism is powerfully and refreshingly relevant, offering a straightforward way of dealing with the issues of life and death.The chapters in this book provide a kaleidoscope of contemporary opinions about Epicurus' teachings. They tell us also about the archeological discoveries that promise to augment the scant remains we have of Epicurus's own writing. the breadth of this new work will be welcomed by those who value Epicurean philosophy as a scholarly and personal resource for contemporary life."Epicurus: His Continuing Influence and Contemporary Relevance," is the title of a 2002 conference on Epicurus held at Rochester Institute of Technology, when many of the ideas here were first presented. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Conference Proceedings
`Epicurus: His Continuing Influence and Contemporary Relevance', is a brief anthology of essays stemming from papers presented at the 2002 Rochester Institute of Technology Conference of the same name.

The essays are in large-part centered on rather narrow and niche topics such as; the relationship between Pierce's ethics and Epicurean thought, Marx and ancient Greek atomic theory, the inscriptions at Oenoanda, etc.While not entirely uninteresting, the contributions are of modest quality and are probably only of interest to a very limited academic audience.

Overall, while these types of texts provide an excellent opportunity for lesser known academics to publish and gain exposure, they often have little appeal to a broader audience.Readers looking for a broad discussion of Epicurean thought would be best served looking elsewhere.

Interesting, but not exactly what I was looking for
This book is a series of academic essays of current scholarship surrounding Epicurus.My hope in purchasing it was to get a better sense of what Epicurus is saying in his (surviving) works.I did get that to some extent, but mostly indirectly, in that an understanding of Epicurus is partially assumed by most of the essays and their main points are more technical and less general.For example, two of the essays focus on the question of how friends/friendship can be an end in itself if your philosophy is hedonism (pleasure for one's self).And several of the essays compare Epicurus in relatively obscure details to other philosophers.Nevertheless I did learn a fair amount about current interpretations of Epicurus' philosophy.

Print on demand
First - this is print on demand and I didn't know this when ordering. For $25 and only 223 pages I would have wanted decent printing and binding.
I'm not against the technology, but I want to know that a book is poorly printed before I buy it, because I really care about books.
Don't know why they charge so much for it, if you're not going to invest in a big print run, you can at least take a smaller cut of the profits. POD is more expensive per book, but you're not laying out thousands of dollars either.
The ink reflects light and the printing is poor, the lines of letters aren't crisp, it's like they're printed from a raster image. frustrating to read. Obviously the few illustrations are terrible, worse than my 6 year old laser printer.

Second, the title of the book is also the title of a 2002 conference on Epicurus held at Rochester Institute of Technology, when many of the ideas here were first presented. This is not a bad thing, just information not given on the Amazon page.

The publisher's website contains the following:
"Since the Cary Collection's inception in 1969, occasional publications have appeared, inspired by its holdings. Strong scholarship and editorial direction, elegant design, and fine printing have characterized these publications, which are usually historical in context. With the formal establishment of the Cary Graphic Arts Press, we hope to carry on these high standards with increasing regularity.
Though we will continue to produce high-quality letterpress and offset publications, one aspect of our expanded mission is to explore digital technologies and to branch into electronically generated content. In this way, the latest information delivery system will be infused with the best historic ideals--a combination that fosters an optimal educational experience."

Yes, they are an arts press that publishes books about bookbinding, lettering, etc. etc. And this book, however nicely the type may be set - it looks like crap when printed by whatever service they use.

Relevant, All-Too-Relevant
Rarely do I recommend secondary sources over primary ones; this book in an exception. The reason is obvious: Epicurus, the most popular and prolific philosopher of antiquity, writing over 37 volumes, is largely lost to us. What the Church did to eliminate these texts one can only guess. But if any philosophy is set diametrically against Judeo-Christian-Islam, Epicurus's is. Since only fragments and reports from others in antiquity survive, Epicurus requires scholarship to pull it all together from so many disparate sources.

Epicurus, the Founder of Epicureanism, continues to be reviled for his materialism, hedonism, atheism, disproof of an afterlife, his tranquility of mind (ataraxia) toward anxiety, his praise of both emotions and reason, for his cultivation of friendship, his praise of love, etc. Let's start with the most "controversial" of his theories: Hedonism. The self-evident principle is to maximize pleasure, minimize pain. Pleasure, for Epicurus, requires a "disciplined" approach, not wild licentious abandon. For example, over-indulgence of any appetite, say deep-fried calamari (my favorite food), for each meal and snack every day of every week loses its pleasure. Calamari all the time makes calamari banal, if not detested. Thus, one must approach each appetite that brings pleasure with a modicum of discipline, balance, and moderation (a very Greek concept). Mutatis mutandis, every other appetite, including sexual.

Epicurus and his disciple Lucretius anticipated Darwin and a materialistic based universe, which, of course, is opposed by Platonism, Christianity, and other metaphysical schemes. His physics remains primitive by today's standards, but his claim that all are atoms or a void "fits" modern physics like a glove.

Like Plato and Aristotle before him, the Charioteer and Two Steeds (Psyche at the reins of emotion and reason) are intended to "govern" or "direct" human emotions to their moderate end through the use of reason. Typical of Greek ethics and values, excess and deficiency are vices, moderation is a virtue. Justice, for example, is taking anger over a violation and moderating the lawful and equal to its proper harbor, without an excess of anger leading to murder and mayhem, and without a deficiency of anger leading to indifference and abuse. Compare this view with Jesus's, who extols turning the cheek to be abused again. To the Greeks that would be unjust. Self-defense is moderate and a virtue, heated tempers an excess of anger, and turning the other cheek a case of masochistic abuse.

Several Church Fathers embraced Stoicism's apathea (apathy, indifference) rather than Epicurus's ataraxia (tranquility, imperturbability), regardingemotions as "brutish, animistic, and sub-human." Not Epicurus. Some emotions cannot be discharged through the moderating influence of reason (for any number of reasons), and those cases require a tranquil resignation of forces larger than ourselves. But where we can effect virtue, can alter an injustice into justice, our sense of justice requires it. Otherwise, in Nietzsche's famed statement, we submit to Slave Morality. Guess who figures prominently an Nietzsche's call to return to Greek values?

The ancient Skeptics disavowed both reason and the senses. Not Epicurus. Our sensory experience is always veridical. And, while reason is never infallible, it alone steers human sensory experience and emotions to the harbors of tranquility, and to the Final End of Human Flourishing. Anxiety, which the Stoics would simply choose to be indifferent to, is a force to reconcile, and if beyond the realm of resolution, simply to be resigned to. Sage Epicureanism: "if you do not reconcile your behavior with the goal of nature, then there will be a conflict between theory and practice."

The Angst of Modernity, the Death of God, the Pendulum of Extremes, the Rise of Irrationality are all predictable reactions when the "opiates of the masses" are removed, whether religious, Marxist, Freudian, or Cults like Heaven's Gate, Jim Jones, and the "Jesus Camp" folk. Without the certainty that Authority brings, whether the Church, the Bible, the Empire, Nationalism, Therapeutics, etc., it might serve our modern anxieties to become reacquainted with Greek thought, especially Epicurus. Commonsense, nature, and tranquility do not need "deities" or "opiates," just a sense of purpose, a sense of living well, and a commonsense that is simply obvious.

Gordon's synthesis from various sources produces an excellent alternative to the Reactions-to-Reactions. No philosopher of Antiquity remains more relevant, more stigmatized, more marginalized, and more despised, all of which are reasons to make Epicurus's acquaintance.

you will not get seven virgins after your death ...
It is the shabby trade of the denominations and religion bureaucracies, that they (with infiltrated awe for God and the beyond) again and again try to stir up and bedevil naiv humans: Epicurus (341 - 270 BC) wanted to cut those puppet works. In the today's fundamentalist meets ("in the sky", the Taliban suicide assassins are instructed (swindled), "you will get seven virgins for reward") religious stir-up-neighborhoods and other morasses know how to produce foolish terrorists. The scholars barely can be waiting to enter the promised life after death. "The Clash Of The Civilizations" (Samuel P. Huntington) since September 11 made a worse climax, 2300 years after Epicurus - and this completely uninfluenced by any realizations of Greek philosophy. One could generally doubt, if philosophy is able at all, to clear up brains. Fortunately in parts of Western cultures and counter-cultures however fragments of Epicureanism, Skepticism and Stoicism are still living on. Epicurus (with honorable persistence) tried to weaken the fear of Gods and their punishment-actions and the awe concerning the certain coming death (all animals fate) - and on the other hand he recommended to keep a distance to the political scene (which too often is involved into corruption or riot, filled with hollow slogans or hate-sermons). He prefered not to work on public places but only in his lovely garden, talking to a handful of well-known friends. This conception requires to proof not only the habits of a sensible life-style but more deeper the patterns of personal identity and the consciousness of using time. "A free live is not able to acquire much money , because this is not easy to get without being serviceable to the rich or the mediocre people ..." Epicurus wrote - and he is not frightened at the opulence deficit. "The voice of our bodies: do not be hungry, thirsty, cold!" Indeed, some non-European, i.e. African nations are demonstrating persistently to the rest of the world, how to overcome with low costs - without loosing dignity. Today, an Epicurean is thought of as a exhausted wine-sipping decadent, practicing unalloyed hedonism and wild orgies, sex and drugs and rock and roll. This is completely wrong. Pleasure is defined by Epicurus as the avoidance of pain and passion, of mania and addiction, is defined as a stabilization of emotions. Epicurus preached as a goal of our mortal life to minimize our excitements and anxieties, dependencies and crazes. Not an everlasting carnival was intended, but calmness as a lifestyle. Of course not a cramped indigence and having of no wants combined with self-punishment and nunful, self-indebted hate-the-own-body-attitude. Few philosophers have been more maligned and underappreciated. Epicurus still delivers important annotations. A last one: "You must comprehend the fact, that a long and a short statement are able to reach the same aim." I hope so. ... Read more

Product Description
The ancient philosophical school of Epicureanism tried to argue that death is "nothing to us." Were they right? James Warren examines the arguments they offered and evaluates their success, setting them against modern philosophical accounts of how death can be a harm. He also asks whether a life free from all fear of death is an attractive option and what the consequences would be of a full acceptance of the Epicureans' views. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Facing My Brother's Death
My brother, Scott Swaner, was a Professor at the Univ. of Washington, Seattle when he was diagnosed
with terminal Pancreatic Cancer.He was only 38 years old and other than teaching, he devoured philsophy,
wrote poetry, translated Korean literature and poetry and was waiting for his first novel to be published.
He was living a determined and purposeful life.
The shock of the diagnosis, left him befuddled, but he continued to study and write as he always had.
This book-- Facing Death by James Warren, is one of only three books that Scott read, and recommended
for anyone facing their own mortality.
Scott encouraged each and all of his family members and friends to get a copy and read along with him
as he continued to try and make sense of the senseless.
It helped us.
It helped Scott. I will forever be indebted to Mr. Warren for his words and thoughts.
The Book: Facing Death-- helped save my brothers life, even as he was dying.
Scott died December 20, 2006.Only nine months after his diagnosis and three weeks shy of his 39th
birthday.
We completely recommend this book, for anyone faced with the same situation--
and for anyone who wants to broaden and expand their mind.
Sheri Swaner

Great investigation of Epicurianism, but a bit boring
Maybe you stumbled on a description of Epicurus' philosophy and were attracted to it, like I was.A review in Skeptic magazine included a quote:

"God should not concern us.
Death is not to be feared.
What is good is easy to obtain.
What is bad is easily avoided."

A nice perspective to have, as the modern world becomes more and more hedonistic, and God seems more and more out of the picture.

I read Warren's book a couple months ago, so please forgive my fuzziness.The first section is very engaging--a wonderful philosopher's breakdown of the conflicts and claims Epicureanism.In particular, it enumerates the many fears one can have regarding death.My purpose, as yours may be, in reading this book was to see how Epicurus claims to deal with these.This first section promised an investigation into these fears (and true enough, the book delivered).

The second section is on the symmetry argument (not existing before birth doesn't bother us, neither should absence after death).This is an interesting argument, but is not convincing (he agrees, and reserves some criticisms for later).However, it is definitely much too long--I almost wish I'd skipped it.

The rest of the book analyzes some other objections to Epicurianism, from the fear of mortality to the unsustainability of their perfect life (nutshell: at every moment you are satisfied with having lived your life.How can you justify preserving it?).

In fact my only objection to his arguments is in the Epicurean Will section (why write a will if you have no care what happens after your death?).It seems obvious to me that you might write a will to appease and comfort those around you (your grandson might be less nice to you in life if you didn't promise to give him your house when you died; thus you'd be more unhappy.)

In the later parts of the book, he digs deeper into the primary texts of the early practicers, trying to get a handle on what Epicurus taught.I was a little disappointed (slightly uplifted later, at the conclusion) that less time was spent analyzing the viability of these teachings--at this point it became too historical for my taste.

The book is obsessively footnoted, so many of the issues he raises (not only with historical interpretations, but also in viability) can be further explored in literature (some online, some not).Many point to dry topics, but undoubtedly some address my objections.

To tell the truth, in the end I was uninterested in a lot of the conclusions.I'd realized that at least one of my particular major objections were not going to be addressed.Still, I think that alot of the issues, examples, and counterpoints he makes are very illuminating.I have benefitted from reading this book, and as soon as I can get around to it, plan to look up some more argumentative modern defenses of Epicurianism. ... Read more

Product Description
The Epicurean philosophical system has enjoyed much recent scrutiny, but the question of its philosophical ancestry remains largely neglected. This book traces its origins in the fifth-century BC atomist Democritus, in his fourth-century followers such as Anaxarchus and Pyrrho, and in Epicurus' disagreements with his own Democritean teacher Nausiphanes. The result is not only a fascinating reconstruction of a lost tradition, but also an important contribution to the philosophical interpretation of Epicureanism, bearing especially on its ideal of tranquillity and on the relation of ethics to physics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Simply stunning.
An excellent account of the subject matter. Superb presentation and very rigorous indeed.

A Response to Mr. Chappels
In my opinion Warren's book - contrary to the above - is an intriguing and expansive treatment of Epicurus' moral theory. To dismiss Warren's conclusion so out of hand suggests to my mind misunderstanding more than anything else. Democritus seen as a model for Epicurus is in fact a hypothesis which is well substantiated, lucid and an exciting new angle on this topic.
I recommend this book unreservedly.

I did not know this Democritus
I understand that the students did NOT read this book! The author explains a Democritus that did not exist. May be he was not the Democritus of Abdera, the atomist we knew. To say that the moral of Epicurus is COPIED from that of Democritus is completely CRAZY! The author ignores the CLINAMEN and the FREE WILL of Epicurus' morals. It is better to forget this book and to leave it to the students that do NOT read it.

rigorous yet compelling
As students of Dr. James "jimmy" Warren we would like to promulgate that - in spite of not having read this work - it is probably one of the finest intellectual achievements of the last century. ... Read more

Product Description
Originally published in 1908.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

Product Description
Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Epicurus," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Epicurus in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Epicurus when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name Epicurus, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A serious attempt at a typology of unbelief
The term "atheism" tends to be used too globally.As more than one critic has pointed out, there is no single atheism, but rather a variety that parallel the kinds of theisms to which they're responding.And, several additional distinctions can be made as well:for example, Antony Flew's famous "negative" and "positive" atheisms (the first is unbelief, the second disbelief) or William Rowe's "broad" and "narrow" (unbelief or disbelief in all gods and unbelief or disbelief in the theistic god).

One of the merits of J.C.A. Gaskin's anthology Varieties of Belief is that he tries to take seriously the diverse nature of atheism in both his excellent introduction to the collection and the works he excerpts.Opting not to use the word "atheism" at all, Gaskin argues that there are three general classes of "unbelief":in god or gods, in the supernatural (e.g., miracles), and in an afterlife.If one embraces the first, one necessarily embraces the second too (but not necessarily the third).As such, "unbelief" stretches to include "religions" such as deism, Jainism, or Buddhism (although Gaskin doesn't discuss the latter two).

Gaskin's tripartite taxonomy somewhat resembles Rowe's "broad" and "narrow" distinction, and it fails to distinguish between disbelief and unbelief.But Gaskin makes up for these deficiencies in two ways.First, he makes a good case for the claim that unbelief in antiquity is different in kind from later unbelief.The former tended to be a positive defense of naturalistic worldviews; the latter, responding to totalizing monotheisms, is primarily reactive.(This, it should be noted, spells out an exception to the claim that atheisms always parallel theisms.)Second, Gaskin does a superb job of spelling out five lines of argumentation in defense of unbelief:an alternative (naturalistic) worldview, arguments against specific faith claims, philosophical arguments against existence of God claims, criticisms of social and moral status of religion, and naturalistic accounts of religious belief.The selections he offers speak to these five lines.

Four and one-half stars.

A fine compendium of doubt
Believers as well as skeptics would profit from a reading of this fine anthology. Besides reprinting hard-to-find shorter items such as Shelley's essay "A Refutation of Deism", the editor has skillfully excerpted passages from longer works. Each selection is introduced by a brief essay providing biographical information about its' author, and a deft summary of the ideas expressed. Besides the necessary inclusion of representative works from Greek and Roman Epicurians, 18th century 'philosophes', and such philosophers as Hume, Nietzsche, Russell, and Sartre; the editor also adds works from now-obscure but important early figures such as Anthony Collins and Elihu Palmer.

My only disappointment was the absence of Antony Flew's famous (and much anthologized) essay, "Theology and Falsification", but this is only a cavil. There is always room for one more custard pie, as Orwell wrote. Oh, and it would be nice if this book were printed instead of photocopied. ... Read more

Product Description
FOREWORD THIS little volume is, as its title proclaims, a brief study of the thought and temperament of a romarkable man, not the history of a scientific school. The band of comrades who gathered round Epicurus in his Garden wero held togcthor not so much by common intellectual interest in the pursuit of truth as by the ties of personal affection among themselves and persona. l devotion to a master whom they regarded more as a Redeemer from the ills of life than as a moral thinker. That the feelings of the Epicurean society of a later date were of the same kind is amply proved by the tone of the poem of Lucretius. Atomism as a scientific hypothesis owes nothing to Epicurus or to any of his followers; he found it already in existence, and every innovation which he made upon its existing form was, from the scientific point of view, a change for the worse. As a man of science, his place is with the circle-squarers and the earth-flatteners.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS; ("I( A t'; I TIlE LIFF 01' ~l'ICURUS; 11 TUE NATURE Olf ltJ!:ALITY ?; HI 'rUE SALYATlOS 01" lIAN; rv HPICUR US A~J) HIS CRITICS; Al'l'E!'D1X-SELRCT AroI'HTITEGMS FPOlI EPICUROS; A~D ~h~TnODOHUS; A CUftO~OLOOICAL 'fulLl:! USID'1JL TO Tn~ R~'DEn; FAGe; 1; 35; 80; 97; 115; 01" THIS BOOl( ? 1 H); A SHORT LIST 011' BOOKS tHiFFUL TO TUI::; E~GLJSII STUDl:!~T Ob" EPICURUS 121

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.

Forgotten Books' Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. Careful attention has been made to accurately preserve the original format of each page whilst digitally enhancing the difficult to read text. ... Read more

Product Description
Epicurus (Greek: Ἐπίκουρος, Epikouros, "upon youth"; Samos, 341 BCE – Athens, 270 BCE; 72 years) was an ancient Greek philosopher and the founder of the school of philosophy called Epicureanism.

[Source: Wikipedia.org]

Contents:
Letter to Menoeceus
Principal Doctrines ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Content is gold, but.....
You can find most of the same stuff free online in word or pdf form. Anything that makes Epicurus' relatively small surviving collections more widely available is cool with me, and different translations are always a good thing, so I can't complain. Reviewing Epicurus' amazing philosophy, which is both simple and complex, sublime and vulgar, is beyond my ability. Suffice it to say, just read about it, in this kindle book or somewhere else. ... Read more