Today added to the site is a new article on what may be the most important single mistake in modern readings of Epicurus.
That mistake is putting ataraxia (tranquility, or freedom from mental disturbance) in the place of pleasure and happiness as the goal of life. Once that substitution is made, everything else in the philosophy is distorted.
The article takes the Letter to Menoeceus as its primary text. It identifies the three traditions responsible for the substitution, and it shows how the whole picture of Epicurean philosophy changes once pleasure is restored to its proper place. Ataraxia is desirable. It is not the goal.
The article can be read at the link below or by opening the "Ethics Analysis" menu in the left navigation sidebar.