epicurus

Episode 208: Epicurus on Seeking Pleasure (Part Two)

February 4, 2019 by Mark Linsenmayer 3 Comments

More on the ethics-related fragments of Epicurus and accounts by Martha Nussbaum and Tim O’Keefe.

What would a purely therapeutic philosophy consist of? Does philosophy as pursuit of pleasure mean that you eschew political action or other substantial goals? Mark, Wes, and Dylan try to figure out which of our desires are vain and whether society is compatible with human happiness.

Listen to part one first or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Tickets are now available for PEL Live: See partiallyexaminedlife.com/pel-live.

End song: “The Language of the Body” by Ant-Bee as discussed on Nakedly Examined Music #68.

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Episode 208: Epicurus on Seeking Pleasure (Part One)

January 28, 2019 by Mark Linsenmayer 8 Comments

On the extant fragments of Epicurus (341–270 BCE) dealing with ethics, including his “Letter to Menoceus,” “The Principal Doctrines,” and “The Vatican Collection of Epicurean Sayings.” Plus Tim O’Keefe’s Epicureanism (2010) and Martha Nussabum’s The Therapy of Desire (1994).

How are we supposed to act once we understand nature as atoms bouncing and swerving around in the void, temporarily producing order through fortuitous collisions? Ruling out demanding gods means ethics is dictated by human nature: we avoid pain and pursue pleasure. However, we’re very bad at this, and Epicurus wants to fix all of us!

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Episode 208: Epicurus on Seeking Pleasure (Citizen Edition)

January 28, 2019 by Mark Linsenmayer 5 Comments

End song: “The Language of the Body” by Ant-Bee as discussed on Nakedly Examined Music #68.

Come see us live in NYC on Apr. 6. Read more at partiallyexaminedlife.com/pel-live.

Don’t forget your 2019 Wall Calendar with free domestic shipping: partiallyexaminedlife.com/calendar.

PREVIEW-Ep 206 Lucretius’s Epicurean Physics (Part Three)

January 12, 2019 by Mark Linsenmayer Leave a Comment

Mark and Wes go into more textual detail re. Lucretius’s take on atomism and the metaphysical and epistemological problems it entails. Start with Part one.

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Episode 206 Follow-Up Lucretius’s Epicurean Physics (Citizens Only)

January 12, 2019 by Mark Linsenmayer Leave a Comment

Mark and Wes go into more textual detail re. Lucretius’s take on atomism and the metaphysical and epistemological problems it entails. Listen to the full episode discussion first.

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Episode 206: Lucretius’s Epicurean Physics (Part Two)

January 7, 2019 by Mark Linsenmayer 1 Comment

More on Lucretius’s poem about Epicurean science: On the Nature of Things from the first century BCE.

We talk more about how macroscopic phenomena are supposed to come out of the interaction of atoms, including mind and its processes of knowledge and illusion, including the illusion of love. One conclusion: life after death is not possible. Can the properties of the atoms themselves be explained?

Listen to part one first or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition; this will also get you the follow-up discussion (coming soon). Please support PEL, and don’t forget your 2019 PEL Wall Calendar!

End song: “Came Round” by Mark Lint. Read about it and get the new album.

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Episode 206: Lucretius’s Epicurean Physics (Citizen Edition)

December 31, 2018 by Mark Linsenmayer 3 Comments

On Lucretius’s poem about Epicurean science: On the Nature of Things aka De Rerum Natura from the first century BCE.

How does the world work? Lucretius presents a system that is surprisingly modern, and raises philosophical issues that are still on point today: What are the basic building blocks of the universe? How could these give rise to minds? What ethical views does a mechanistic worldview imply?

End song: “Came Round” by Mark Lint. Read about it and get the new album.

Keep an eye out for the follow-up discussion where Mark and Wes go into more details from the text.

Applying the Epicurean Theory of Justice to Cannabis Legalization

February 23, 2016 by Hiram Crespo 2 Comments

An Epicurean examination of the war on drugs.

Lucian: the Well of Laughter

July 22, 2015 by Hiram Crespo 4 Comments

Lucian of Samosata (c. 125–180 CE) was a Greek-speaking Assyrian satirist, who falls within the tradition of the laughing philosophers. He was the George Carlin or perhaps the Bill Maher of his day, eloquently mocking both the credulous masses and the charlatans who made a living off of them.

Contemplations on Tao Series

June 5, 2015 by Hiram Crespo 1 Comment

The parallels between Taoism and Epicurean philosophy which become evident when we study Taoism and read the Tao Te Ching. Sometimes the insights we get from both traditions mirror, complete and complement each other.

Come Join Not School in June

June 4, 2015 by Daniel David Leave a Comment

Come start a new discussion group during June, or explore Epicurean philosophy with the Fiction Group.

Epicurus’ Four Cures

May 20, 2015 by Hiram Crespo 17 Comments

The resolution to follow Epicurus is a resolution to protect one’s mind. We live in a dysfunctional consumerist society filled with anxiety and neuroses, where few people analyse their lives, most have a short attention span and are uninterested in disciplining their minds and curbing mindless desires. If philosophy is understood as the Epicureans understand it, then it becomes evident that people desperately need philosophy today.