Epicurus believed that we should pursue an autonomous and happy life, free from the fear of the gods and death. Explore the impact of his philosophy on human freedom and happiness.
In ancient Greece, people lived in a deterministic worldview that believed the universe was run by the gods, and they were afraid of the gods and of natural disasters and celestial phenomena that were thought to be caused by the gods. Epicurus saw it as important to free his contemporaries from these false beliefs, and to do so, he developed his ideas based on natural science to help humans achieve happiness.
Epicurus acknowledges the existence of God, but not in the way humans think, and argues for a deistic view that God lives in an intermediate world between universes and does not intervene in human affairs. He says that the gods, as immortal beings, are in a state of supreme happiness, inflicting no pain on anything else, and are free from all suffering, as well as from things like anger and favor. Thus, Epicurus sees the human world as not determined by the gods, and human happiness is achieved by humans themselves, as autonomous beings.
Epicurus’ ideas are deeply connected to his ethics, which is based on his understanding of physics. He argued that all existence is made up of atoms and void, and this atomistic worldview allows him to explain the human soul as a material and finite entity. The soul is co-created with the body and interacts with it, and when the body is injured, the soul suffers. Furthermore, when the body dies, the soul dies with it, and humans are not judged by God after death, so while alive, humans have nothing to fear from the idea that there is a judgment after death. This idea is the basis for freeing man from all fear of death.
Epicurus’ naturalism allows for a non-deterministic understanding of the universe and our world. This is evident in Epicurus’ explanation of the motion of atoms: he sees them as having a chance motion, falling at an angle, colliding and bouncing off, deviating from the law of vertical falling motion. Since the universe is made of these atoms, the universe is also a product of chance. Therefore, there is no divine involvement in the universe and the human world, and no divine providence in human life. Epicurus uses this idea as the basis for free will, which allows humans to live their lives without being bound by inevitability.
From this foundation, Epicurus develops an ethics that identifies the fundamentals of free living and leads to happiness, the ultimate goal of life. In the end, he frees human beings from the fear of divine intervention, cosmic inevitability, and the afterlife, paving the way for them to live their lives autonomously and in control. His hedonistic ethics provided a way to pursue the realization of happiness in a state of soul stability.
Epicurus’ philosophy is also based on a clear understanding of human desires and pleasures. He argued that not all pleasures are equal, and that we should seek lasting and stable pleasures rather than transient and excessive ones. Epicurus believed that intellectual pleasure and a moral life bring true happiness, and he emphasized that this requires controlling desires and focusing on fulfilling natural and essential needs. This approach helps humans free themselves from unnecessary desires and greed and find psychological tranquility and contentment.
Another important aspect of Epicurus’ philosophy is his emphasis on the value of friendship. He believed that true friendship plays an important role in human happiness. Friendship was seen as an important factor in providing trust and support to one another, as well as mitigating external threats and anxiety. Epicurus argued that relationships with friends are not merely a means to pleasure, but an essential element in helping humans achieve happiness.
In this way, Epicurus laid the philosophical foundation for humans to live an autonomous, subjective life, free from fear of the gods, the universe, and death. His ideas are still relevant today and have contributed greatly to improving human happiness and quality of life.
