For Epicurus, the purpose of philosophy was to attain the happy, tranquil life, characterized by the absence of pain and fear, and by living a self-sufficient life surrounded by friends. He taught that pleasure and pain are the measures of what is good and bad, that death is the end of the body and the soul and not to be feared, that the gods do not reward or punish humans, that the universe is infinite and eternal, and that events in the world are ultimately based on the motions and interactions of atoms moving in empty space.
Epicurus was often vilified as favoring the uninhibited pursuit of pleasure (hedonism), however he invariably counseled restraint and temperance with respect to physical desires.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicurus
Why should I fear death?
If I am, death is not.
If death is, I am not.
Why should I fear that which
cannot exist when I do?
2007-05-18
02:59:00
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12 answers
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asked by
Anonymous