The Long ConversationA timeline of world philosophy

Philosopher

Epicurus

341–270 BCE

Taught that the good life is one of tranquil pleasure, free from fear of the gods and of death, and explained the world as atoms moving in the void.

White marble head of a bearded man with a lined forehead
Roman marble copy, 1st century CE, of a Greek portrait from the 3rd century BCE. Palazzo Massimo, Rome.Photo: Marie-Lan Nguyen · Public domain · See the original

Accustom thyself to believe that death is nothing to us, for good and evil imply sentience, and death is the privation of all sentience.

Letter to Menoeceus 124, translated by R. D. Hicks

Epicurus founded a school in Athens around 306 BCE, known simply as the Garden. He held that pleasure is the goal of life, but understood the highest pleasure as tranquillity, freedom from bodily pain and mental disturbance, rather than indulgence. Simple living, friendship and philosophical understanding were the means to it.

Building on the atomism of Democritus, he explained the world as atoms moving in empty space, with no role for divine intervention. Since the soul too is made of atoms and disperses at death, he argued that death is nothing to us, and that fearing it is a mistake. Most of his many writings are lost; three letters and a set of maxims survive because Diogenes Laërtius quoted them in full.

Key ideas

Pleasure as freedom from pain and fear
The goal of life is happiness, which comes from the absence of physical pain and mental disturbance. Freedom from disturbance is called ataraxia.
Death is nothing to us
“While we exist, our death is not, and when our death occurs, we do not exist.” Fear of death, and of punishment after it, is the main source of human anxiety, and it rests on a mistake.
Three kinds of desire
Some desires are natural and necessary, such as for food and life itself. Some are natural but unnecessary, such as for fine food and drink. Others are empty, such as for immortality or great wealth, and serve no genuine need.
Atoms and the void
Everything is made of atoms moving in the void. This thorough materialism, with no need for Platonic forms, shows that the soul cannot survive death.
Friendship and a quiet life
Friendship is essential to the good life, while politics is best avoided where possible. Nor should we imagine that the gods concern themselves with human beings or how they behave.
Tradition
Western
Region
Athens

Influences

Influenced by

Epicurus341–270 BCE

Influenced

Influenced by

Epicurus341–270 BCE

Influenced

Where these links come from
  • Epicurus drew on Democritus. Source: David Konstan, Epicurus, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
  • Lucretius drew on Epicurus. Source: Simon Trépanier, Lucretius, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
  • Marcus Aurelius drew on Epicurus. Source: Rachana Kamtekar, Marcus Aurelius, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Key works

Sources

  1. David Konstan, Epicurus, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
  2. Sylvia Berryman, Ancient Atomism, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy