In this blog post, we will examine human freedom and happiness through the natural philosophy and ethics of the ancient philosopher Epicurus, who denied divine intervention.
In ancient Greece, people believed in a deterministic worldview in which the universe was controlled by the gods, and they could not shake their fear of the gods or of natural disasters and celestial phenomena, which they believed were caused by the gods. The Greeks regarded natural phenomena such as solar and lunar eclipses, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions as the wrath of the gods, and they performed various rituals to appease them. These beliefs and rituals had a major impact on everyday life, causing people to behave according to religious norms.
Epicurus believed that it was important for the people of his time to break free from these false beliefs, and to this end, he developed his own philosophy based on natural science in order to help humans achieve happiness. He realized that natural phenomena were not the will of the gods, but occurred according to the laws of nature, and sought ways for people to break free from superstition and think freely.
Epicurus acknowledged the existence of God but believed that God existed differently from what humans thought, and he advocated a deistic view that God lived in a world between universes and did not interfere in human affairs. He said that God, who was immortal, was in the state of supreme happiness, did not cause suffering to anything else, and was free from all suffering, anger, and goodwill. Therefore, Epicurus believed that the human world is not determined by God, and that human happiness is achieved by humans themselves as autonomous beings. This view was a major challenge to the religious beliefs of the time and gave people a new sense of spiritual liberation.
On the other hand, Epicurus believed that the human soul, like the body, is composed of minute particles. The soul comes into being with the body, interacts with the body, and suffers when the body is injured. Furthermore, when the body perishes, the soul also perishes, and humans are not judged by God after death, so there is no need to fear judgment after death while alive. This idea is the basis for freeing humans from all fear of death. Through this, Epicurus emphasized that people should free themselves from the fear of death and live their present lives to the fullest.
Epicurus’ natural philosophy enables a deterministic understanding of the universe and the human world. This is clearly evident in Epicurus’ explanation of the motion of atoms. He believed that atoms deviate from the law of vertical fall and move randomly, falling at an angle and colliding with each other. And since the universe is made up of these atoms, he believed that the universe itself is also a product of chance. Therefore, there is no divine intervention in the universe or the human world, and divine providence cannot be found in human life. Epicurus used this idea as the basis for free will, which allows humans to live their lives independently, unbound by necessity.
Based on this, Epicurus elucidates the fundamentals of a free life and develops an ethics that leads to happiness, the ultimate goal of life. Ultimately, he paved the way for humans to live their lives autonomously and independently by freeing them from the intervention of God, the inevitability of the universe, and the fear of the afterlife. Based on his hedonistic ethics, he proposed a way to pursue happiness in a state of spiritual stability. This did not simply mean physical pleasure, but rather the pursuit of mental tranquility and the absence of suffering. Epicurus’s ideas continue to have a significant influence on modern society and remain a guide for many people today.
