Hedonistic definition 20 ways to seek pleasure

Who cares whether some bit of wisdom is from a Stoic or an Epicurean, who cares whether it perfectly jibes with Stoicism? What matters is whether it makes your life better, whether it makes you better. This is something that a lot of fundamentalists- in religion, philosophy, anything- seem to miss. Or as he once poignantly remarked: РІР‚СљIРІР‚в„ўll never be ashamed to quote a bad writer with a good saying.РІР‚Сњ But this is true to form for Seneca. But why should you think of them as belonging to Epicurus and not as common property?РІР‚Сњ

РІР‚СљQuite possibly youРІР‚в„ўll be demanding to know why IРІР‚в„ўm quoting so many fine sayings from Epicurus rather than ones belonging to our own school. This was of course a question he had foreseen: Why was Seneca quoting a РІР‚ВrivalРІР‚в„ў school, you may ask. РІР‚СљIРІР‚в„ўm still turning over the pages of Epicurus, and the following saying, one I read today, comes from him: РІР‚ВTo win true freedom you must be a slave to philosophy.РІР‚в„ўРІР‚Сњ In another, Seneca says this to his correspondent, Lucilius,

РІР‚ВA cheerful poverty,РІР‚в„ў he says, РІР‚Вis an honourable state.РІР‚в„ўРІР‚Сњ РІР‚СљMy thought for today is something which I found in Epicurus (yes, I actually make a practice of going over to the enemyРІР‚в„ўs camp РІР‚вЂњ by way of reconnaissance, not as a deserter!). While the Stoic philosopher Seneca did offer a critique of Epicurus in his Letters from a Stoic, it would be unfair not to mention the numerous times he positively quoted him. One starting point, which might surprise many, is that it is worth noting just how much the Stoics borrowed from the opposing and rival philosophical school. (Just as the Stoics were not unfeeling and reject emotions.) And to settle an important point early on, Epicureanism did not advocate for excessive self-indulgence the way we may think they did. They both counseled that we should avoid excessive pleasure and desires.

Stereotypes always fall short, but in this case, the common understanding of what it means to be a follower of the Stoics or Epicureanism has dealt two vibrant philosophies a grave injustice.Р”В«oth philosophies were founded in Athens around 300 B.C as the lives of both Zeno and Epicurus, the founders of the two schools, overlapped. The image of the Stoic is the unfeeling, emotionless brute and the Epicurean as the pleasure-loving, self-indulgent hedonist. Stoic and Epicurean-two words that do not mean what people think they mean.

Hedonistic definition 20 ways to seek pleasure