Who is the author of How to Be an Epicurean?

The author of How to Be an Epicurean is Catherine Wilson.

Philosophy

How to Be an Epicurean Book Summary - How to Be an Epicurean Book explained in key points

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How to Be an Epicurean summary

Name: How to Be an Epicurean
Rating: 4.4 (211 reviews)
Author: Catherine Wilson

Catherine Wilson

The Ancient Art of Living Well

4.4 (211 ratings)

23 mins

Brief summary

How to be an Epicurean by Catherine Wilson is a guide to living a life filled with pleasure and tranquility. It explores the philosophy of Epicurus and gives practical advice on how to apply his ideas to modern life.

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Western Philosophy Meaningful Living

Table of Contents

How to Be an Epicurean
Summary of 7 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 7

What’s in it for me? Discover what an ancient philosophical school of thought can still teach us in the modern age.

What should we do with our lives? Should we always be striving to achieve more success and material comfort – earning that next promotion, saving up for that bigger house? Or should we dedicate ourselves to a higher calling, such as the pursuit of knowledge?

These seem like difficult questions to answer, and people have been arguing about them for thousands of years. But the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus believed the secret was simpler than you might think: we should aim to seek pleasure and avoid pain.

That simple maxim, though, contains plenty of complications. And Epicurus had more to teach us too, on everything from physics to death. Sounds like hard work? Not at all – it’s going to be a pleasure.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

what Epicureanism and Darwinism have in common;
what happens to the soul when we die; and
what the difference is between Epicureanism and Stoicism.

The ancient Greek philosophy of Epicureanism isn’t just about pleasure – it’s a theory of everything.

These days, when people think of Epicureanism, they tend to imagine scenes of luxury – an aristocrat, perhaps, in his wine cellar, or a gourmand tucking into a generous dinner. Epicureanism often just means pleasurable, hedonistic high living, with a weirdly strong emphasis on food and drink.

But there’s far more to it than that.

It’s true that the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus emphasized the importance of pleasure. And so did his most influential follower, the Roman poet and philosopher Lucretius. But they also acknowledged this was complex. Too much pleasure today, for instance, can lead to pain later on. And of course, other people are seeking pleasure too, and we shouldn’t seek our own pleasure at their expense.

Plus, Epicurus and Lucretius had a lot to say about nature, physics, history, love, death, religion – nearly everything. And a lot of it’s still highly relevant today.

The key message here is: The ancient Greek philosophy of Epicureanism isn’t just about pleasure – it’s a theory of everything.

Epicurus lived with his followers in Athens in the third century BCE, in a grove – usually called his garden – outside the city. Most of his writings were lost – many were buried by the famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. But by that time, over in Rome, Lucretius had written many of his own Epicurean texts, notably his long poem On the Nature of Things.

Despite its unprestigious reputation today, Epicureanism has had a major role in the history of thought. It influenced many philosophers, including Thomas Hobbes, John Stuart Mill, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Karl Marx. Several of the American Founding Fathers were Epicureans too, including Thomas Jefferson.

Epicurus also has an intriguing place in the history of science: he developed one of the earliest theories of the atom, which is now known as Epicurean atomism. According to this theory, everything is made up of atoms – tiny, indivisible particles that are invisible to the eye. Not only that, but these atoms are the only truly permanent things in the universe. Everything we see – people, nature, human-made objects – are simply arrangements of atoms, and when these things change or cease to exist, that’s just the atoms rearranging themselves.

The details of Epicurean atomism aren’t correct, according to modern science. But as ancient philosophical theories go, it’s actually pretty accurate. In fact, the same goes for Lucretius’s theory of the development of human beings. You might even call it “natural selection,” as we’ll explore in the next blink.

There are no supernatural powers in Epicureanism, so it often sounds surprisingly modern.

The ancient Epicureans believed that, long ago, atoms happened to form many animals – far more than exist today. But only some survived: the ones that had the most useful features, like speed or intelligence. In other words, there was no divine force behind the creation of the natural world around us – a belief that was widely ridiculed for centuries.

Charles Darwin’s work was ridiculed, too, back in the nineteenth century. In fact, his theory of natural selection was frequently compared to the doctrines of Lucretius. Yet these days Darwin’s ideas are widely accepted, and Lucretius’s work sounds remarkably like a precursor to it.

Epicurean ethics is about seeking pleasure and avoiding pain – but with prudence and morals.

What should you do with your life? For Epicurus, this question is about choice and avoidance. Put simply, we should choose pleasure and avoid pain. Our desire to do that is natural – and nature, for Epicurus, is the most important force of all.

Too much pleasure can end up having the opposite effect, though – just think of a hangover. That’s why Epicurus’s advice is to act prudently – with an awareness of how much pleasure and pain your actions will cause in the long term, as well as right now. And that gets pretty complicated.

Some pains are inevitable, like those we experience with love and death.

The Epicureans’ ancient rivals, the Stoics, had some dark views about passion – they likened it to a disease. But for an Epicurean, passion should be embraced. And besides, even if passion is like a disease, aren’t diseases part of nature? Surely they’re inevitable from time to time.

It’s true that romantic love comes with its share of problems. Both Epicurus and the especially passionate Lucretius recognized that love causes pain as well as pleasure. Just think of how agonizing it can be to feel uncertainty about whether someone loves you back – or jealousy about them loving someone else!

The distinction between nature and convention is at the heart of Epicureanism.

Rocks are heavy. Fire is hot. Water is liquid. These are all characteristics we’d normally ascribe to the things in question. Lucretius called them properties – rocks have the property of heaviness, he’d say. Properties are natural; they’re part of a thing’s essential nature – the set of characteristics that make it what it is.

But what about a person being enslaved or free? Poor or rich? Lucretius didn’t think of these in the same way. He called them accidents – things that might change, without affecting something’s essential nature.

It’s impossible to know what’s really true, but we can get as close as possible.

One consequence of Epicurean Atomism is that we can never see what’s truly going on – atoms are simply too small. All we can see is the blur that all those millions of tiny particles make in aggregate after they’ve come together to form larger things.

What’s more, we’re all in possession of our own set of senses, plus our unique past experiences. So we all see slightly different things when we look at the world.

Choose Epicureanism if you want to live a pleasurable life that feels meaningful.

Take an empirical approach toward religious beliefs, and they start to look unlikely. The author even suggests we have a moral responsibility to disagree with the claim that there’s a god or gods watching over us all, sorting everything out.

Not all aspects of religion are at odds with Epicurean values, though. Some religious communities do charity work, and many religious teachings encourage good morals. However, there’s a superstitious aspect to religion that doesn’t fit with the rational Epicurean perspective.

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What is How to Be an Epicurean about?

How to Be an Epicurean (2019) brings the ancient philosophy of Epicureanism into the modern age. This fascinating “theory of everything” is about much more than seeking pleasure, and it can help you live an enjoyable, moral, and meaningful life today.

How to Be an Epicurean Review

How to Be an Epicurean (2019) by Catherine Wilson is an enlightening exploration of the philosophy of Epicureanism and how it can be applied to modern life. Here's why this book is worth reading:

The book presents practical advice on how to find happiness and live a good life based on Epicurean principles of simplicity, mindfulness, and pleasure.
It provides historical context, offering insights into the philosophy's origins and its relevance in today's fast-paced, consumer-driven society.
With its engaging storytelling and thought-provoking ideas, the book challenges conventional wisdom and encourages readers to reassess their priorities and find true fulfillment.

Best quote from How to Be an Epicurean

The spirit . . . is born with the body, develops with it, and succumbs with it to the stress and strain of age. - Lucretius

—Catherine Wilson

Who should read How to Be an Epicurean?

Pleasure seekers looking for a philosophical creed
Philosophy fans who want to learn something new
Modern-day Stoics seeking another ancient philosophical perspective

About the Author

Catherine Wilson is a philosopher who has taught in the United States, Canada, and Europe. She’s currently Visiting Presidential Professor of philosophy at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. She’s written several other books on Epicureanism, including A Very Short Introduction to Epicureanism, as well as books on the philosophers Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and René Descartes.

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