Epicurus Today

From The Garden To The Stars

"On he passed far beyond the flaming walls of the world, and traversed throughout in mind and spirit the immeasurable universe; whence he returns a conqueror to tell us what can, what cannot come into being."

For two thousand years, from Greece to Rome to the modern world, the wisdom of Epicurus has motivated forward-thinking people to explore nature and use that knowledge to strive for a life of happiness. Much remains to be done, but as Lucretius wrote two thousand years ago, "by his victory we reach the stars."

Exploring Nature As A Team Sport

"Exercise thyself in these and kindred precepts day and night, both by thyself and with him who is like unto thee; then never, either in waking or in dream, wilt thou be disturbed, but wilt live as a god among men. For man loses all semblance of mortality by living in the midst of immortal blessings." ... "And most of all give yourself up to the study of the beginnings and of infinity and of the things akin to them, and also of the criteria of truth and of the feelings, and of the purpose for which we reason out these things."

Epicurus taught his students to work together with like-minded friends to seek out the truth about the universe, as this is the best way to find the best life possible. If you share the Epicurean worldview, join with us in our friendly and cooperative online community. No trolls allowed!

A Friendly "No Politics" Zone

"We must free ourselves from the prison of public education and politics." ... “In investigating nature I would prefer to speak openly and like an oracle to give answers serviceable to all mankind, even though no one should understand me, rather than to conform to popular opinions and so win the praise freely scattered by the mob."

The Way Things Are

"These darknesses and terrors of the mind not the Sun’s beams, nor the bright rays of day, can ever dispel, but Nature’s light and reason, whose first of principles shall be my guide: Nothing was by the Gods of nothing made."

Contrary to those who tell you to love your "fate" and relish the thought of being the plaything of gods, Epicurus tells you that Fate and Supernatural Gods do not exist. Instead, Epicurus teaches that your free will gives you the largest share in determining your future, and that you had best get to it, given that you only have one life to live and no further existence after death.

The Way We Know

"If anyone thinks that he knows nothing, he cannot be sure that he knows this, when he confesses that he knows nothing at all. I shall avoid disputing with such a trifler, who perverts all things, and like a tumbler with his head prone to the earth, can go no otherwise than backwards."

Laughing at those who allege that it is impossible to know anything with certainty, Epicurus taught that knowledge about the essential things in life is possible, and that a proper standard of knowledge doesn't require omniscience. A proper standard of proof is based on the faculties Nature gives us, including our five senses, our feelings of Pleasure and Pain, and our natural ability to recognize patterns even in a universe that is always in motion.

The Way We Live

"In this way Epicurus represents the wise man as continually happy: he keeps his passions within bounds; about death he is indifferent; he holds true views concerning the eternal gods apart from all dread; and he has no hesitation in crossing the boundary of life, if that be the better course. Furnished with these advantages, the wise man is continually in a state of pleasure, and there is in truth no moment at which he does not experience more pleasures than pains. For he remembers the past with thankfulness, and the present is so much his own that he is aware of its importance and its agreeableness, nor is he dependent on the future, but awaits it while enjoying the present ... and when he compares the fool’s life with his own, he feels great pleasure. Pains, if any befall him, have never power enough to prevent the wise man from finding more reasons for joy than for vexation."

Thus for Epicurus, the term "pleasure" includes much more than bodily stimulation - it includes everything in life that is desirable, including both the activity of the mind and of the body. In other words, the pursuit of science, art, and music are every bit as important to the pursuit of pleasure as food, drink, and sex! Once you expel the false priests and philosophers who claim the right to tell you what is right and wrong, you see that it is Nature that tells you how to live through pleasure and pain.