How to Be an Epicurean
‘Pleasure should be the basis of all our decisions’: so said the Epicureans. But there’s more to this school of thought than fine wine, rich food and great sex aplenty.Epicureanism is often misguidedly equated with hedonism. But this rational and humane philosophy offers and advocates so much more than opulent self-indulgence. Instead, this school of thought encourages a life free from anxiety, stresses the importance of friendship, and champions knowledge as one of the greatest pleasures. Join Professor Catherine Wilson on a journey to the heart of Epicurean sentiment and discover a framework through which we can lead richer, more fulfilling lives.Grappling with some of life’s biggest questions along the way, Catherine reveals the Epicurean approach to life’s fundamental questions: What is the purpose of morality? How best to tackle love and relationships? What is the meaning of life? How should you cope with death? All within the aim of thoughtfully pursuing long-term pleasure in its various forms, Epicureanism reveals a more immediate and practical answer these seemly intangible dilemmas.Drawing on a wellspring of ancient philosophy, harnessed and repurposed for a contemporary audience, How to be an Epicurean offers a timely guide for modern living that advocates the importance of maintaining friendships; the benefits of working alone; creating time for personal reflection and growth; and many more things besides.
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First published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2019
FIRST EDITION
© Catherine Wilson 2019
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Source ISBN: 9780008291693
Ebook Edition © May 2019 ISBN: 9780008291716
Version: 2019-04-02
Contents
1 Cover
2 Title Page
3 Copyright
4 Contents
5 Preface
6 Note on the Text
7 PART I: HOW THE EPICUREAN SEES THE WORLD
8 1. Back to BasicsThe Epicurean AtomAtomism: Three Consequences
9 2. How Did We Get Here?The Epicurean Theory of Natural SelectionDarwin’s Upgrade: How Selection Causes Evolution
10 3. The Material MindThe Mystery of ConsciousnessThe Evolution of Consciousness
11 4. The Story of HumanityThe State of Nature and the Rise of CivilisationAuthority and InequalityThe Lessons of the Past
12 PART II: LIVING WELL AND LIVING JUSTLY
13 5. Ethics and the Care of the SelfPleasure and PainPrudence and its LimitsHedonism and its ProblemsDon’t Suffer in Silence!The Pleasure Merchants
14 6. Morality and Other PeopleMorality vs PrudenceMoral Truth and Moral ProgressWhy Be Moral?What’s Different About Epicurean Morality?
15 7. Beware of Love!The Epicurean ExceptionThe Pains and Pleasures of LoveSexual Morality: Minimising Harm to OthersUsing Your Head
16 8. Thinking About DeathThe Epicurean View of DeathDeath at the Right and Wrong TimesAbortion vs InfanticideSuicide vs EuthanasiaResisting and Accepting MortalityDon’t Count on the Afterlife
17 PART III: SEEKING KNOWLEDGE AND AVOIDING ERROR
18 9. What Is Real?Nature and ConventionThings in BetweenHuman Rights: Natural or Conventional?The Imaginary: UnthingsThe Reality of the Past
19 10. What Can We Know?The Importance of First-Person ExperienceResolving DisagreementIs Empiricism True?
20 PART IV: THE SELF IN A COMPLEX WORLD
21 11. Science and ScepticismScientific ExplanationCan We Trust the Scientists?Living with Uncertainty
22 12. Social Justice for an Epicurean WorldThree Epicurean Philosophers on War, Inequality and WorkEpicurean Political PrinciplesJustice for Women: Nature, History and Convention
23 13. Religion From an Epicurean PerspectiveBelief in the ImaginaryPiety Without SuperstitionCan Religion Be Immoral?Can a Religious Person Be an Epicurean?
24 14. The Meaningful LifeTwo Conceptions of the Meaningful LifeMeaningfulness for the IndividualThe Problem of AffluenceThe Philosophical Perspective
25 15. Should I Be a Stoic Instead?The Stoic SystemToo Much Fortitude?Wrapping Up
26 Bibliography and Suggestions for Further Reading
27 Acknowledgements
28 About the Publisher
LandmarksCoverFrontmatterStart of ContentBackmatter
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Philosophy wears garments of many colours and textures. It can stitch together intricate analysis or pretentious bafflegab, deep insight or pseudo-profundity, impartial advice or personal prejudice. It shows up, in flashy or drab form, not only in the lecture rooms of universities but in the New Age section of your local bookshop, shelved next to books about ESP and meditation. Regardless of its patchwork character, philosophy asks you to try to think for yourself, logically and coherently, to create order from chaos. You use ideas and frameworks developed by others, especially the great philosophers of the past, as scaffolding. But ultimately, you make – and use – your own system of the world in deciding what to believe, what to do and what to hope for.
