2. Epicurus’ Biography
● An ancient Greek philosopher.
● Was born on February 4th, 341 B.C., on the island of
Samos, Athens which is now known as Turkey.
● His era is Hellenistic Philosophy .
● He bought a house and established a school on his
garden, known as Ho Kepos (The Garden) to study
happiness.
● He patiently studied happiness for many years.
3. ● Known for his famous philosophy,
Epicureanism.
● Epicureanism viewed as a form of hedonism.
● The goal of epicureanism in human life is
happiness, by achieving pleasures.
● Epicureanism teaches us that the greatest
good is to seek modest pleasure in order to
attain a state of tranquility.
Epicurus’ Philosophies
4. Epicureanism
● According to Epicurus, we can attain
modest pleasure through;
- Ataraxia (peace and freedom from fear)
- Aponia (the absence of pain)
● Epicurus advocated that people may able
to pursue philosophy by living a self-
sufficient life surrounded by friends.
6. Letter to Menoeceus
● The philosophy of
Epicurus on
Epicureanism is found
on his book, Letter to
Menoeceus.
● It addresses the
hierarchies of desires,
how to carry choices
and avoidances in
order to achieve net
pleasure, and other
aspects of Epicurean
ethics.
7. Epicureans in Political Aspect
● Epicurus discouraged contributing to
political society by starting a family. He
instead encouraged a formation of a
community of friends outside the traditional
political state to focus on internal affairs and
justice.
● To Epicureans, all social relations are a
matter of how they perceive each other,
through customs and traditions.
● No one is inherently higher or meant to
dominate another.
