Philosphy on Epicurean Ethics

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The fundamental quest of freedom from fear is what he claims to be the main objective in leading an intrinsic pleasure filled life. Epicurus believes that fear and anxiety are the detrimental obstacles to happiness. The fear of the gods he states is not validated. Many feared the punishment of the gods for immoral behavior or improper worship. His belief was that although the gods may exist, they are not the version that Greek mythology described them to be. They are perfect, blessed, eternal and would not concern themselves with the conduct of such flawed humans. Thus the pious worship of them is unfounded and fearing them is only causing unnecessary pain. The other major interference to happiness was the fear of death. Epicurus wrote, “It is nothing, then either to the living or to the dead, for with the living it is and the dead exist no longer” (page 316, Ancient Philosophy, Essential Reading with Commentary). Understanding that death is not to be feared adds to the enjoyment to the mortality of life. Death leads to the sensation of no pain, and thus ultimately a good thing. Without a fear of the gods and death, serenity can be reached. Epicurus writes “The end of all our actions is to be free from pain and fear, and once this is obtained the tempest of the soul is quelled.” Fear of the unknown is the root to such qualms. Whether the afterlife is tangible or death being the very termination of existence is the main cause of the fear. Because this is an enigmatic factor, people fear dying, but if this anxiety is substituted with the realization that pain will terminate upon death, the life can be lived fully, without reservation.

Life can be lived in pleasure, a wisdom driven tranquility. Reason must be used when making cognitive choices about which pleasures are to be pursued. While I come into agreement about wisdom being used in such decisions, the scale in which Epicurus uses to gauge pleasure causes some dilemmas in his philosophy. Living in a negative spectrum, avoiding the absence of pleasure leads to a void. Pain is unavoidable in life, however, pain does not need to be feared. Lessons can be learned through the struggle, such as perseverance and diligence. External pleasures can be enjoyed without dependency and can enhance to the value, adding to the positive range of pleasure. Tranquility and peace within the mind can be in harmony with physical desire.

Sources:

Ancient Philosophy: Essential Reading with Commentary, Edited by Nicholas Smith with Fritz Allhoff and Anand Jayprakash Vaidya. Blackwell Publishing, 2008