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The Epicurianism is a version of hedonism; it is based on pleasure. Essentially, the Epicurians do whatever bring the longest lasting pleasure. But first, we must learn some background. Epicurus, the designer of Epicurianism, believed that the world was made of atoms. Remember, this idea was LONG before anyone had discovered atoms truly existed. He said that everything was made from atoms, including the soul. The soul atoms are held within the body, and then when they are released, you die. The soul atoms moved very fast within the body and hit our other atoms, pushing us and moving us. Atoms randomly move in the universe, allowing indeterminism to exist. He also believed that their was no a priori knowledge; everything is sensory knowledge. Dying is nothing to fear since you are alive now and when you do die you don't feel it and your soul leaves and lives on since atoms can not be broken down. Epicurus said that everyone should try to get the longest lasting pleasures. This means that you want passive pleasures. This is because passive pleasures have less pain then active pleasures. Desires lead our lives. There are 2 groups of desires: 1)Vain - which is materialistic, 2)and Natural - contains Necessary (Friendship, ease, and Life) and Merely Natural (sex since it is a bodily function). This all ties into the idea of wanting little and having much. A good analogy is having a cup that represents your desires. Would you rather have a large cup that is never full, or a small one that is constantly overflowing? |