A Review and Legacy of Epicurus's Philosophy of Happiness
Born on the Greek island of Samos to Athenian parents, Epicurus began to come into contact with different teachers and schools from an early age, and he was familiar with Democritus's theory of atoms and Pilang's skepticism. After lecturing in the city-states, he founded the "Garden" Academy in Athens in 305 BC, where he opened his doors to welcome women and slaves to study, and his relationship with the students was more like a friend, and his students also gave him a strong sense of loyalty, and they wrote books to worship their teachers.
Epicurus lived in the Hellenistic era, and when the city-state lost its dependence, the mind had no place to rely on. The turbulent life allowed him to shift his focus from the outside in, to find a place for the soul. Based on the ontology of the atom as his philosophy, he developed a hedonistic ethic that made the Epicureans one of the most famous factions of the Hellenistic era.
I. The historical background of the formation of epicurean philosophical system
It is true that the formation of Epicurus's philosophical system was formed by a combination of factors, but two of them deserve our attention in particular.
(1) Social background
"After Alexander's death, the generals set off a frenzy to divide the empire and form three kingdoms." [1] The classical ethics of the city-state, learned from Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, has long since ceased to exist, wars have deprived people of their place of livelihood, the destruction of the city-state has left their spiritual homes without refuge, and people no longer realize their own values by participating in public life, but have to consider how to find their own way of life in the individual and the vast empire. Wendelban once defined this period of Greece as a "period of discussion of ethics"[2], and how to seek one's own happiness in an era of great change has become a constant question of people's thinking.
Epicurean philosophy came to the stage of history at this time. It can be said that Epicurus's ethics first provided a kind of "philosophical healing" for people to rescue them from wandering and lost. While conforming to the trend of the development of the times, we study the hedonistic ethics proposed by Epicurus, and seek inner pleasure and soul tranquility. Many people discuss Epicurean philosophy only as a school of pure pursuit of pleasure and self-feeling, which, in my opinion, is one-sided. We should realize that the proposal of Islamic philosophy has its own deep social accumulation, and Epicurus is only actively looking for a salvation remedy at the turning point of the change of the times.
(2) Theoretical background
In line with the external background of the times, the new political structure at this time has become one of the manifestations of the changes of the times. Early city-state ideals were replaced by individualism. One of the most prominent points in Greek classical political ethics is that the city-state ethic advocated requires the active participation of the people in public life, and Athens brought democracy to the world, which was reflected in the participation of everyone in Athens in public life. Second, classical political philosophy regards the universe as the origin and society as the basis, and holds that the state and society are living wholes that contain a certain divinity, and that citizens survive in this whole, thus ignoring the freedom and interests of the individual. Epicurus, on the other hand, advocated the individual. Public life is not conducive to personal happiness, and smart people should know how to avoid participation. He microcosmed all the criteria by which he was able to judge goodness and truth, and everything that people lived was reduced to the truest feelings of the individual, and he thought that happiness was the purpose of life, and happiness was defined only by Epicurus as "painless." In Epicurus's view, the struggle for rights and honors in public life and the resulting wars are the source of suffering, and classical political ethics happen to think that this is the main content of public life.
In addition, in the society before Alexander, the city-state was stable, and in a closed body, the citizens depended on everything the city-state gave, and there was no need to worry about whether they could be "self-sufficient", so that people could find their own position in the city-state society. In the time of Epicurus's life, people could no longer rely on the city-state for everything, and in such a society, "security" was particularly important. So, in Epicurus, the atoms that make up the world are hard and impenetrable, as if people had found a barrier for themselves.
II. A Review of the Basic Ideas of Epicurus's Philosophy of Happiness
For Epicurus, the real purpose of studying philosophy is to make people live a happy life. Science cannot achieve this goal, so science has no practicality: architecture, arithmetic, painting are useless. Epicurus believed that we need to know some physical knowledge in order to let us understand the cause of all things; we must have a certain logical thinking, so that we know the criteria for judging knowledge. In summary, Epicurus's philosophical theory can be divided into three parts: natural philosophy (physics), normology, and ethics.
(i) Natural philosophy
Epicurus's idea of atomic ontology was the foundation of his philosophical system. Epicurus originally inherited Democritus' ideas of ancient atomism. He believed that there was nothing in the world but atoms and the void. Epicurus believed that atoms have not only size, but also weight. From this, he proposed the term "atomic weight". He believes that precisely because of weight, the trajectory of the atom is not limited to linear motion, it may also be deflected. Epicurus affirmed the spontaneity of atoms, explained the rationality of the existing world, and found a theoretical basis for man's free will. The idea of atomic weight, which allows us to avoid the fatalistic path of Democritus, is different from the blindness and coldness of fate, and it will bring us spiritual peace. At the same time, he believed that the gods existed, but they were different from the associations that people had because of fear.
They are not the founders, they are not interested in everything in the world, they live happily, why should they intervene in the world? Even they are some kind of body type, with the shape of a human being. They are arrogant and cold, and live carefree lives. Epicurus attributed the creation and demise of objects to the combination and separation of atoms. The atoms that make up these objects are indivisible and unchangeable, and if they were separable, then everything in the world would disappear.
Objects are ever-changing because of the difference in the weight, size, and arrangement of the atoms that make up them. At the same time, since atoms have an infinite number of atoms, there must be a space that can accommodate these atoms, and this space is the universe, so the universe is infinite. He broke the narrow view of those who were limited only by thinking that there were only certain "boundaries" in the world.
(2) Normology
Like Democritus, Epicurus believed that sensations are produced by images ejected from objects around us and acting on our senses. Thus, we can think of "feeling as the touchstone of truth" [3]. Without feeling, there is no knowledge. On the basis of sensations, we also have "pre-diagrams", which he assumes exists in some kind of schema by which we can understand the world. In addition, there are opinions and hypotheses, and if they correspond to feelings, they are correct. According to Epicurus, in the field of theory the criterion of truth is sensation; in the process of practice, pleasure and suffering are the yardsticks by which happiness is measured: whatever causes happiness is good; what causes suffering is bad.
Epicurus believed that the combination of atoms produced the body and soul, but also the sensations, and when the atoms dispersed, the sensations dissipated at the same time. He believes that death is not terrible. When we are in constant fear, death has not yet come, and when death does come, our feelings will disperse.
Thus, Epicurus's sensory criterion and atomic ontology coexisted and together became the theoretical cornerstone of his hedonistic ethics.
(3) Ethics
The most prominent of Epicurus's philosophies is Epicurus's discourse on happiness. As far as human nature is concerned, it is all tendency to seek happiness; all people have the instinct to be happy and avoid suffering since birth. Epicurus proposed the distinction between "dynamic" pleasure and "static" happiness. The so-called "dynamic" happiness is the happiness that people get in the process of satisfying their own needs. And "static" happiness is even more important. It refers to the peace and abundance of the human heart after the needs are satisfied. Epicurus divided desire into three types: natural and necessary desires, such as our desire for food; the second natural but unnecessary desire, such as the desire for beauty and wine; and the third is a desire that is neither natural nor necessary, such as the desire for wealth, power, and profit. Both the second and third desires disturb our inner peace, which we should avoid.
Epicurus also made a distinction between physical and spiritual happiness: physical happiness is only related to our present life, and spiritual happiness also includes our past and future lives. If we can get rid of the fear of future death, we will attain spiritual happiness. At the same time, Epicurus also advocated a correct view of friendship.
Epicurus believed that friendship can also bring us spiritual peace. He once argued that friendship is "the most important thing in all happy lives." Here, friendship is not only about making friends, but also about caring for others and loving friends like you love yourself. Friendship and happiness are interconnected, and without friendship, we feel as if we are in a cage, full of loneliness and pain.
In order to guarantee happiness and friendship, we need to establish a sense of justice. Epicurus believed that justice was a virtue that was useful to both the individual and the nation. To live a life of moderation, we need justice. This is different from Plato's view that justice is a "thing of its own", a tool needed to protect people's interactions, and in a sense we can define it as "mutual benefit".
III. The Legacy of Epicurus
Although Epicurus's philosophy emerged during turbulent times, its theories had a profound impact, and his theories not only provided a way for people at that time to save themselves, but still reverberate a hundred years later.
(i) The influence of Epicurean philosophy on the society of the time and the future generations
The once prosperous city-state was divided into three, and at a time when people's worldviews and values were changing rapidly, in the face of people's spiritual ills, Epicurus provided people with a way to redeem themselves. From the beginning of hellenistic civilization to the development of social contract theory by philosophers and thinkers later, Epicurus built a cosmopolitan society in simple language at the beginning of the new wind of civilization, although this is only a utopia in mind, but undoubtedly expressed the voice of the people at that time. He pointed out the fundamental existence of atoms and the void, and viewed the absolute authority of God with a rational attitude, which was the initial example of Xi Zhe's later discussion of the relationship between reason and theology. It is undeniable that Epicurus's philosophy of encouraging individuals to pursue their own happiness is a doctrine of self-interest, and such values can easily lead to selfish behavior that ignores others; when there are social contradictions, he encourages people to retreat to their own small world, advocating that the "poor and happy way" concept of life is undoubtedly a passive escapist approach.
(ii) The influence of Epicurean philosophy on Marx's theory
In Marx's doctoral dissertation, he explored Epicurus's philosophy in depth and spoke highly of it. Marx's greatest god was Prometheus, and the reason for his courage to fight and challenge Zeus's authority was bold. Epicurus discussed the concept of "atomic weight" in the ontology of atoms: because atoms have weight, atoms will also deviate during the vertical fall, which injects a clear spring of "freedom" into the development of later Western philosophy. At the same time, Epicurus emphasizes that the sensations we acquire are all influences of objects around us. This affirms that objective things are the source of knowledge and are distinct materialistic theories, which also enlighten Marx's philosophical theories.
(iii) Inspiration for Chinese youth from the perspective of modernity
Today's "post-80s" and "post-90s" young people are labeled as "confused", and the various social problems arising from it also deserve our attention, and we will get a lot of inspiration from Epicurus's outlook on life.
First of all, in today's developed socialist market economy, many young people are greedy for pleasure and delay in studying, Epicurus expounded on three kinds of desires, and thus came to the conclusion that "those who do not want nothing from desire are the happiest people", so we should rationally treat our "non-essential" desires, develop good habits of frugality, do not have the idea of blind comparison, pay attention to the fullness and prosperity of the soul, and treat all kinds of temptations in life with a normal heart.
Second, Epicurus tells us that death is not mysterious nor terrible. And what we need to do is to do something meaningful in this limited life. In youth, cherish time, take advantage of the energy and time to study, learn more skills, arm yourself; in middle age, take care of the family, be kind to your parents, and set an example for your children. When we walk through the four seasons of life and look back on the path we have traveled in this life, we know that we have fulfilled our mission, left our mark on our children, and taught them how to be content and happy people, we have a full and beautiful life.
Finally, everyone is not an independent individual in society, and if we want to integrate into society and into the collective, we will have friendship. Epicurus said that friendship is the good we have. Indeed, friendship brings us joy and inspiration. People who are not related by blood come together, encourage each other, support each other, which in itself is worthy of our surprise, we have formed a wonderful relationship with these people, sharing together when happy, facing together when sad, it is friendship that makes us know how to cherish what we have. Therefore, being kind to others is a principle that each of us should always keep in mind.
Epicurus's philosophy of pleasure has been delayed for hundreds of years and has had an important impact. We do not deny that there are negative effects of pleasure, self-interest, and utilitarianism in his theory, but we should see the enlightenment brought to us by his theory.
bibliography:
[1] Yao Jiehou. The Epicurean School's Concept of Civilization Progress and Simple Social Contract Thought[J].Journal of Graduate Students of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences,2010,(2):125.
[2] Huang Juan. A Brief Discussion on Epicurus's Philosophy of Happiness[J].Journal of Kaifeng Institute of Education,2008,(1):28.
[3] Tilly, Chu, Gree, translation. History of Western Philosophy[M].Beijing: The Commercial Press,2004:105.]
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