blog




  • Essay / Evaluating Contentment Through the View of Epicurus

    Epicurus, active in the 4th century BCE, was a prominent ancient Greek philosopher who founded his own school of thought and led his own philosophy, now labeled under the title of Epicureanism. For him, the goal of philosophy was to achieve pleasure and avoid fear, primarily that of the gods, death, and an unpleasant afterlife. Famous for his espoused materialism, Epicurean put forward the idea that the only true purpose of life is to embrace all its pleasures and reject all its boredom and pain. However, this was not simply a free pass to engage in widespread anarchy and orgies, but rather a system of behavior that emphasized self-righteousness wherever one could. finding it, and on “authentic” happiness as the ultimate and achievable goal for everyone. . Epicurus put forward the idea that the Greek gods were perhaps the product of human imagination; ideals that are not to be feared or worshiped, but are to be admired and imitated because they have achieved their own authentic happiness through ataraxia, liberation from the lusts of the flesh and aponia, emancipation from the chains of the mental slavery that weighs us down when we try to overcome our own thoughts and ideas which hinder our progress towards this authentic happiness, which is not as distant as some might believe. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay For Epicurus, happiness was an indulgence not only in basic human pleasures, such as food, sex and other luxury goods, but also for higher order pleasures like learning, fine arts, and relationships, among others. Considering that pleasure is the only intrinsic good available and accessible to all, it is not about pleasure in the sense that modern hedonism maintains, but the "pleasant life" revolves around restraint and nevertheless distinguishes the pleasures of 'Epicurus. asserted that too much of a good thing can result in more harm than good; as well as a good dose of abstinence, to some extent, can be beneficial to focus on what makes life worth living, and not just the mindless excess of all that one might find attractive. Epicurean hedonism often gets a bad rap for endorsing excessive indulgence and material possession at the expense of spiritual gains, but the truth is that this pre-modern hedonism did not negate any aspect of self-control or responsibility personal of his actions which is often associated. with an extravagant postmodern life; it all adds up to life being a never-ending party. The unique concept of his philosophy is “authentic” happiness, which encompasses life in the search for unchanging contentment. "Authentic", in this context, relates more to a reality of life in terms of pursuing the objects of one's desires but also introspection, whereas the opposite would be to live one's life assuming that there is no not much to experience apart from. An individual's quality of life should not be determined by their excesses, but by the value they place on social constructs such as time and relationships, as well as anything that contributes to their long-term contentment . Authentic happiness refers to happiness that is not rooted in artificial ideas of wealth, fame, power, etc., but rather arises from a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us . personal effects, which will lead to greater personal fulfillment than anything found in the material world. Epicurus had defined the physical state or condition of being.