about death not to be feared, Greatest pleasure, and Epicureanism

1. Chapter 19
“pleasure is the good”
by Epicurus
Bryan David
20191000061

2. About the author
Epicurus was an ancient Greek
philosopher and sage who founded a
highly influential school of philosophy
now called Epicureanism. He was born
on the Greek island of Samos to
Athenian parents
Diogene laetius the roman historian
who lived five centuries later noted
that Epicurus wrote extensively on
physics, ethics, and religion
(341-271 BCE)

3. About the work
On his view although the universe is unbounded space and time, the soul is
bound and distributed throughout the body which disintegrates at death.
Epicurus was a hedonist, meaning he taught that what is pleasurable is morally
good and what is painful is morally evil
The Epicurean ethics of sometimes popularly confused with the hedonism of the
Cyrenaics since both philosophies believes pleasure is the greatest good.
However, Epicurus emphasized a calm and tranquil life based on pleasures of the
soul rather than pleasures of the body

4. Why is death not to be feared?
It is right then for a man to consider which produce happiness, since, if
happiness is present, we have everything, and when it is absent , we do
everything with a few to possess it.
Epicurus explains that people seek wealth and power on account of these fears,
believing that having more money, prestige, or political clout will save them
from death He, however, maintains that death is the end of existence, that the
terrifying stories of punishment in the afterlife are ridiculous superstitions, and
that death is therefore nothing to be feared

5. Epicureanism
Epicureanism bases its ethics on a hedonistic set of values. In the most basic
sense, Epicureans see pleasure as the purpose of life. As evidence for this,
Epicureans say that nature seems to command us to avoid pain, and they
point out that all animals try to avoid pain as much as possible. and the focus
of their ethics was on the avoidance of pain rather than seeking out pleasure.
Physical pleasures:
▪ Pleasures of the body
▪ Kinetic pleasures
Mental pleasures:
▪ Pleasures of the mind
▪ Katastematic pleasures

6. Pleasures of the body
Pleasures of the mind
Kinetic pleasures
Katastematic pleasures
These pleasures involve
sensations of the body, such
as the act of eating delicious
food
Kinetic pleasure describes the
physical or mental pleasures
that involve action or change.
feelings of joy, the lack of fear,
and pleasant memories are all
examples of pleasures of the
mind.
Katastematic pleasure
describes the pleasure one
feels while in a state without
pain
https://phys.org/news/2016-10-
junk-food-environment.html
https://phys.org/news/2016-10-
junk-food-environment.html

7. Greatest pleasure
Epicureans concluded that the greatest pleasure a person could reach
was the complete removal of all pain, both physical and mental. In
order to do this an Epicurean had to control their desires, because
desire itself was seen as painful
Epicurus distinguishes three kinds of desires:
▪ Natural and necessary
▪ Natural but not necessary
▪ Not natural nor necessary
If one follows only natural and necessary desires, then, according to
Epicurus, one would be able to reach aponia and ataraxia and thereby
the highest form of happiness

8. https://www.eatthis.com/goo
d-lunch-habits/
https://www.daraz.com.np/tec
hnos/
https://www.phocuswire.com/
Concur-research-last-
minute-travel
Natural and necessary
Natural but not necessary
Not Natural nor
necessary

9. justice
▪ Epicurus was also an early thinker to develop the notion of justice as
a social contract. He defined justice as an agreement made by people
not to harm each other.The point of living in a society with laws and
punishments is to be protected from harm so that one is free to
pursue happiness.
▪ Because of this, laws that do not contribute to promoting human
happiness are not just.
Eg: the village chief and the villager agree to make a punishment for
those who not throw a garbage in the trash can

10. Thank you