What are the four elements of the Epicurean Tetrapharmakos?
The “tetrapharmakos” was originally a compound of four drugs (wax, tallow, pitch and resin); the word has been used metaphorically by Roman-era Epicureans to refer to the four remedies for healing the soul.
What are the four maxims of the Tetrapharmakos?
Originally, the term refers to a compound of four actual drugs: wax, tallow, pitch, and resin….Philodemus put together the tetrapharmakos from fragments of his master’s teachings, and summarized it into four points:
- Don’t fear God.
- Don’t worry about death.
- What is good is easy to get.
- What is terrible is easy to endure.
What are Epicurus four basic truths?
One can be loving, caring and nurturing, and perhaps even a spiritual, individual without fearing any god. And in the words of Epicurus: “Death means nothing to us… when we exist, death is not yet present, and when death is present, then we do not exist.”
What happened to the Epicureans?
Death. Diogenes Laërtius records that, according to Epicurus’s successor Hermarchus, Epicurus died a slow and painful death in 270 BC at the age of seventy-two from a stone blockage of his urinary tract.
What did the Epicureans believe about happiness?
Epicurus makes the following claims about human happiness: Happiness is Pleasure; all things are to be done for the sake of the pleasant feelings associated with them. False beliefs produce unnecessary pain; among them, that the gods will punish us and that death is something to be feared.
What are the two types of pleasures on Epicurus view?
For Epicurus, pleasure is tied closely to satisfying one’s desires. He distinguishes between two different types of pleasure: ‘moving’ pleasures and ‘static’ pleasures. ‘Moving’ pleasures occur when one is in the process of satisfying a desire, e.g., eating a hamburger when one is hungry.
What is Epicurus famous for?
Epicurus, (born 341 bc, Samos, Greece—died 270, Athens), Greek philosopher, author of an ethical philosophy of simple pleasure, friendship, and retirement. He founded schools of philosophy that survived directly from the 4th century bc until the 4th century ad.
What is nature according to Epicurus?
From his analysis of human motivation, Epicurus concludes that desires can be divided into “natural” (arising from human nature) and “unnatural” (acquired as part of one’s society). Unnatural desires, such as the desires for power or fame or wealth, lead to pleasure which are very impurely mixed with inevitable pains.
What is Epicurus concept of hedonism?
Epicurus’ ethics is a form of egoistic hedonism; i.e., he says that the only thing that is intrinsically valuable is one’s own pleasure; anything else that has value is valuable merely as a means to securing pleasure for oneself.
What is wrong with Epicureanism?
One problem with both Stoicism and Epicureanism is their excessive focus on the self. The good of deep and loving relationships with others carries with it an unavoidable vulnerability to pain and suffering.