Epicurus starts by telling us the fundamental laws of nature, nothing is created out of nothing and nothing can be destroyed to nothing. These laws hold true for all the universe. Atoms will always move and collide through the universe without destruction, providing stability and permanence to the world around us. The narrator informs us that these laws support his argument that only natural causes operate in the world.
Epicurus would like us to consider that our soul is made of atoms held within the body and that these atoms are what lead to our being able to feel sensations, but without the body no sensations would;ve ever been felt. When the soul leaves the body all sensation is lost. The soul is indestructible by nature because it is made of atoms. Because there is no sensation with the body separated from the soul it is impossible to conceive there is an incorporeal existence, as the soul would have no sense of the world around it.
When it comes to higher powers, Epicurus did not deny their existence, but he believes that they hold no true power. Instead he believes that the function of scientific nature is responsible for all phenomena that occurs. He says that God is blessed and immortal - an existence that knows no trouble and causes no trouble, as anger and favor only exist in the weak. Death for people is nothing - it is only the loss of sensation. Understanding that death is nothing, allowing the morality of life to be enjoyable. It is the anticipation of death that is painful, not the death itself. We should seek the most pleasant life possible.
Epicurus breaks down the desires into two parts, the vain and the natural. The natural can either be natural or necessary, with the necessary being either necessary for happiness, the body, or for very life. Unhappiness is the product of fear or vain desires. Natural desires are physical desires. When it comes to unlimited desires, nothing can bring joy as they are unobtainable. Nature is not to be denied, so follow desires and the physical (natural). By follwing nature and not vain opinions (desires?)
Difficulties arrise from forgetting nature, which in turns means you create fear and unreachable desires. Epicurus says that what is obtainable is necessary and what is unnecessary, thankfully, unobtainable. When we understand this, we can protect the soul and the health of the body by avoiding pain and fear.
When we desire pleasure then we create pain in its absence. When we don't need pleasure then we no longer experience pain. Epicurus says that pleasure is the start and end to a blessed life - our initial pleasure, an innate good, helps us to judge all other good in the world.
He goes on to claim that prudent people understand good things are easy to obtain and fulfill ones life, while bad things are short lived and few, just like extreme pleasures. He goes on, destiny is nothing as only man has the true power to impact events, whether out of necessity, chance or by our control. Chance can not be a god, as gods acts have no disorder. Making a decision based off of reason and having an unfortunate outcome is better than relying on chance to give good outcomes.
Epicurus believes that Justice is created by nature to stop people from harming each other and to provide a mutual advantage for everyone. Justice acts as a pact not to hurt others, when beings are unable to make this pact their actions can't be just or unjust. Injustice is not the source of evil, only the fears that stem from injustice are evil. Laws that effect interactions by adding advantage to man's interaction are just.
When talking about safety, Epicurus believes that removing oneself from community, at large, is the best way to obtain safety. Friendship helps to truly have a blessed life. He concludes that the safest and most full life is obtainable by keeping company with others that have also shed most of their ties with society at large. This allows for better safety and for the fewer friendships, I assume, to be stronger and more rewarding.
Despite his call to protect oneself no one can escape death. You can only protect yourself against "fortune" by anticipating how to avoid "fortune", assuming he means accidents or acts of harm against you. By following his words, he believes that people will live good lives and not fear death as they will have already had a good life. People who listen to him are always trying to live a better life throughout their lifetime and in doing so should be happy and content when they must leave this earth.
By living such a pure life with a few people one should be surrounded by immortal blessings during life and a life lived like an immortal and with others that act immortal will not be like a mortal being.
Discussion Questions/Comments
What influenced Epicuris to believe that only nature influences our world?
What does #3 have to do with happiness - I didn't see anything about happiness, but it was mentioned in the narrator intro to the section....
I never thought of death in the way that Epicuris did. Kind of funny though, as it is true. The problem is that we live such long lives now days that death is often a lot slower than it used to be.
Does Epicurus mean vain desires when he says "vain opinions?"
I thought his imagery of the "draught of life and death" was particularly interesting to me. I thought it was a really great way to portray our lives (and then death) as deal already taken from our getting to exist.
Key Terms/Definitions
Justice: the dealings of man with one another at every time, making a pact not to hurt one another
Contravention: an act that violates law, treaty, or other ruling
Intrinsic: belonging naturally; essential
No comments:
Post a Comment