Epicurus and Modern Socialist Revolution
The goal is to live within your life and to enjoy that life and harm no one. To be angry leads us nowhere but pain. We should try to turn that anger into an assurance that we are supposed to find the source of irritation and do something about it. Live as if each day was the last and embrace each day fully. The fact that we all will die, we should not let that honesty interfere with the living and celebration of life. Death is not daunting for while you are alive you are not dead. When you are dead you are no more. Once you and I dissolve into the natural elements that make up our bodies we feel no sensations we worry about nothing we suffer no grief. Experiences of sensations are for the living, without thought there is no fear.
The goal of receiving and giving pleasure and avoiding and giving no pain is the goal of all living things. We as people should respect that and try not to exploit others for our own limited desires. Ataraxia is distinguished by liberation from anxiety, apprehension or dread. Enjoyment of life is hedonism. Hedonism that does not harm our bodies is a good thing; hedonism that harms no one else is even better. Hedonism that can be gained through reciprocity, generosity and compassion is what the core of socialism is all about.
Real hedonism requires a strong sense of social justice. With equality we with live in dread of those with less than us. Without everyone getting their basic needs met the public realm becomes one of anger and fear. If there were no large amounts of wealth side by side with poverty then we would all live without exploitation, theft, struggle just to survive other live in luxury by taking what others have worked so hard to produce.
The teachings of Epicurus are sound a foundation for socialists thought. The wealth necessary to live a good life without exploiting others is found in the natural world which has environmental limitations. But it is simple to get hold of the resources needed to live modestly but comfortably for everyone. The wealth needed to survive a market economy bolstered by arrogant morals of corporate accumulation become more intense as wealth grows for the few and poverty for the many extends to infinity. The prosperity requisite in the environment is limited; if we go beyond natural limitations we destroy our own homes. Comfort is easy to achieve; but the avarice that is obligatory by narcissistic gluttony of capitalism extends to eternity. Hedonism based upon greed is not hedonism but iniquity. Intemperance centered upon avarice is not only self-indulgence but also social injustice. Simplicity, fairness, mutuality, directness, justice, reciprocity, kindheartedness, consideration, understanding and appreciation of others are the sources of happiness.
Social justice is necessary for security. But justice is fairness only if it is independent from any suggestion of antagonism or retribution. In living the good life then, pleasure is the highest virtue if that pleasure is not bought at the pain and suffering of others. Reciprocity is founded upon mutual bond of having confidence in the thoughtful appreciation of others.
Life is a celebration to be indulged in and not a burden to be endured. Any thing that interferes with that merriment called living is injustice. Injustice anywhere it comes to our attention it must be opposed with all the moral indignation we can muster. This in itself becomes our celebration. If we are to stand for justice we must confirm the worth of the victims of injustice.
Justice is the nonexistence of hate, resentment, avarice and disrespect for others. Victory is the intelligent human condition that will prevail over injustice by good sense and useful study of the natural world and of other people from which we form a scientific foundation for sympathetic understanding.
Our knowledge of the world around begins with our sensational experiences of that world. All our sensations are basic stimulus response and in the beginning are absent of purpose and because it is not open to of recollection, thinking about and based on reason or philosophy we define reality. Our experience of the external world it is not self-caused. It does not have an external cause outside of that experience. Our experience cannot add anything without our interpretation. The external world is given and we learn through stimulus response and by talking to others thus an ego embedded in an ever-changing culture is formed. Reason is born with that this complex interaction between the ego, sensations, the external environment and communication with others.
“Epicurus, the son of Neocles and Chaerestrata, was an Athenian from the deme of Gargettus and the lineage of the Philaïdes. He was born 341 B.C.E. He live till 270 B.C.E. From his garden he crated a utopian community where people could live devoted to simple pleasures and joy in a way the exploited no one, harmed no one, including oneself and could easily be shared with all of humanity. This is what he taught.
The fundamental obstacle to happiness, says Epicurus, is anxiety. No one can be happy if they are anxious or never satisfied no matter how rich. Good health will not make you happy if you're worried about getting sick. You will not be happy in this life if you're worried about what happens to you after you die. People who are fearful of worried about being punished or victimized by powerful divine beings will only find sorrow in life. It is very easy to be happy if you follow the four basic truths of Epicureanism: there are no divine beings that threaten us; there is no next life; what we actually need is easy to get; what makes us suffer is easy to put up with. "Don't fear god, don't worry about death; what's good is easy to get, and what's terrible is easy to endure”.
In summery:
Epicurus four keys to happiness:
1. Fear no god
2. Fear death even less
3. Pleasure is easily attained
4. Pain is easily endured
Epicurus Path to Happiness
1. It is impossible to live pleasurably without living sensibly
2.To provide for one self with minimum effort to secure protection from harm
3. True security cost little
4.Comfort is easily attained and wealth is never enough
5. Pleasure that costs little and harms no one is best
6. The greatest pleasure is the simplest pleasure
7. Reason makes any surprises acceptable
8. Allowing all people the same amount of life's necessities this makes theft unimportant
19. The greatest obstacle to pleasure is fear
10. The fear of the gods and of death is the source of most evil
11. We can dispel these fears by understanding life, death, nature and the universe
12. Pleasure is impossible until science dispels superstitions about life, death and nature
13. True pleasures are simple and easily attained neither wealth or eternal life adds anything
14. Eternity contains no more or greater pleasure than that attained in the now
15. The gods add nothing to humans or their happiness
Siddhartha Gautama Buddha maybe (?) (563 BCE to 483 BCE)
Siddhartha was born into the royal Hindu Kshatriya family. His mother died in childbirth. The Buddha was raised by his mother's youngest sister, Maha Pajapati.
When Siddhartha was sixteen he married his cousin Yasodhara. They had a son Rahula. When he was 29 he left home to travel alone a find the source of suffering and seek enlightenment.
Buddha’s four noble truths:
Dukkha: Human life is filled with pleasure and suffering.
Tanka: Suffering and pain are the result of desires. This is our karma
Nirodha: Escape from pain can only happen when all desires are eliminated.
This can only happen by following the eight-fold path to nirvana.
Eight fold path.
1. Right knowledge – the four noble truths.
2. Right thought.
3. Right speech.
4. Right behavior.
5. Right effort.
6. Right livelihood.
7. Right mindfulness or watchfulness.
8. Right concentration and meditation.
Also Lao Tse Born 604 BCE of the Taoist school.
He was from Ch'ü-jen, which is which called Honan Province, today it is the southern most tip of China.
He never died he simply road off on the back of a buffalo to Tibet and was never seen again.
Taoist concepts, beliefs and practices:
1. Tao the unity and first-cause of the universe. All life is a manifestation of Tao.
2. Tao is everywhere surrounding everything in time and space
3. A wise person’s goal is to harmonize with the Tao.
4. The many gods are but a manifestation of Tao, existing any other living thing.
5. The gods do not answer prayers of humans, as they are unaware of people.
6. Answers are found through observing nature.
7. Time is cyclical moving in continuous patterns.
8. Each person should try to be as healthy as possible.
9. Five main organs and orifices of the body correspond to the five parts of the sky: water, fire, wood, metal and earth.
10. People should take care to nurture their breath (Ch`I), which is sacred.
11. This will give us the three jewels of compassion, moderation and humility.
12. Follow wu wei meaning allow nature to be natural in her own way.
13. Through this mindset people can plan their actions safely.
14. Compassion is its own reward.
Marx, Epicurus, Feuerbach, Hegel and Materialism.
Epicurean philosophy is often falsely defined as hedonism of the type that includes carnal, insatiable, and lavish to overindulgence. But, this is false. Also false is the passion for gourmet foods. Epicureanism in some ways shares more in common with Buddhism then with the popular definitions of Epicureanism. Both offer a deeper understanding and a peace of mind. This is because the only faith that really makes sense in a faith in the lack of faith. People must the fact that anything can happen at anytime. Loved ones die or abandon us and we grieve. Our lives are like the weather, in spite of the best of modern science, is unpredictable at best. Disillusionment is a constant and failure is always possible.
Life is without meaning. As Camus said the only meaningful philosophically is whether or not to commit suicide. Once we choose to live, we need to find meaning or despair. Monotheistic religions with eternal truth help us look forward to a better world after we die. Both Buddhism and Epicureanism accepts the utter arbitrariness of our lives to both accept this and to embrace the randomness of existence.
Epicureans have no use for God or gods. Buddhists are silent on the issue, or they see God as an unnecessary or even a diversion. Epicureans are either open atheists or they are practicing agnostics. Buddhist not deals with god but do not openly care if any Buddhist publicly practices another religion that does hold the possibility of the divine while being a Buddhist. Epicurus was a philosophical materialist, maybe a closet atheist, but bordered on blasphemy in his relationship with God. Buddha was neutral on gods or God, leaving it up to each individual Buddhist to determine if the believed in God.
Ataraxia is term used here which was according to Epicurus a clear-headed condition of full-bodied serenity. Pursuit of happiness is lives goal and pleasure is the greatest virtue. A simple happiness is also a modest pleasure. If simple contentment is also the basis for reasonable gratification of our pursuit of happiness then this is a pleasure that harms none, is easily shared. Happiness and pleasure that neither exploits others nor oppresses others because it is joy and ecstasy that would neither abuse nor tyrannizes because our enjoyment is with others their happiness is our happiness.
Ataxia
As stated before Epicurus was extremely stern of the belief in a god, why he asked would gods concern themselves with the concerns of humans. Buddha real did not concern himself with the question of God’s existence. Fear of death and the uncertainty of what happens to us after we die is a source of discomfort. We can choose another way. We can choose to become the authors of our own lives. This is true even if we have very little choice the raw materials we have before us in making those decisions that will affect the rest of our lives. We can accept our fates quietly and suffer the consequences or we can fight back and enjoy the freedom of open rebellion and resistance. By turning our lives over to a god the hope is we can avoid our freedom. In the attempt to escape our freedom we will fail. The fear of freedom leads us to the door of faith. Faith is the abdication of responsibility. But, late at night alone when our faith abandons us we face the truth that will not go away. Life has no meaning except the meaning we choose to give it. Epicurus taught us this is the beginning of happiness. By embracing our freedom without God we can now face life as a celebration to be indulged in and not a burden to be endured.
In fact Epicurus was highly critical of the belief in God, and Buddha simply ignored the question. For both fear of death and uncertainty of our fate was a major source of pain. We can choose another way. We can choose to become the authors of our own lives. Even if the raw materials we have to work with are forces beyond our command and determine the list of options we have to work with, we still have choices. If fact we cannot avoid choices. The fact remains we need to take responsibility for our lives.
By turning to God we hope to avoid our freedom, in which we can never escape failure. Fear of freedom leads us to the door faith. Through faith we hope God will take charge of our lives and we can avoid this lonely freedom we claim to desire. But, late at night when abandon by our faith we face the truth, life has no meaning. Epicurus taught us this is the beginning of choice leading to happiness. By embracing our freedom embracing our freedom instead of giving it over to God we can celebrate a life without God. Life now becomes a celebration to be indulged in rather than a burden to be endured.
God offers a false hope. To the believer faith must be protected, because left alone it fails. If life is a vale of tears then death can be faced only with great fear and trembling even with faith because we still do not know our final judgment. Epicurus taught us to fear no god and to fear death even less. If life is the successful pursuit of happiness, we need to learn to seek those pleasures that are easy to attain, sustainable in the long term, without difficulty distributed through both sympathy and fairness. Compassion and equality is the organization of an ethic of sharing our pleasures that are easily shared with others harming no one in the process. These are the only true pleasures.
Only through humility, simplicity, tenderness, compassion, dependability, commitment to equality and social justice can true happiness be found.
Death comes to every one and is not to be feared. I there was no soul, and then there is nothing to fear when we die. The dead feel no pain. If we are to truly celebrate life we cannot be crippled by our fear of death. Death is a normal part of life. With eternal life comes the fear of making God angry and suffering the consequences. Heaven and hell does not lead to peace of mind. Epicurus taught with out a soul or a god death is truly irrelevant.
If death is irrelevant, our morality is the source of our comfort. Ethics is easy for those who expect no other reward than it is the right thing to do. Good is good because it feels right, heaven’s reward makes no sense. Anger comes back to haunt us. Coming to terms with the origins of our anger and getting past it gives us peace of mind. Compassion makes us feel closer to others. Vengeance can never be satisfied. Through our imagination we can feel the pain of others and sympathy allows hoping for the elimination of the other’s pain. This becomes are connection with humanity. The commonly shared humanity blurs the lines between friends and strangers. This best way to live and the hope for long-term happiness and peace of mind are now within our reach. Through simplicity, compassion, understanding we become a part of a greater whole that part of an even greater whole. We can begin to live fully allowing us face our mortality with tenderness not fear and trembling. Death met with dread and alarm only degrades our lives. Death is nothing to us. No not reject life and do not fear death. Death does not harm the dead and our personal death should not concern us if it only lessens our joy in life. So enjoy life as it is lived and try to extend the pursuit of happiness as a shared event.
If we are to be truly happy we must make sure our happiness harms no one else and to avoid the anger, pain and conflict we may impart on others. To be truly happy our happiness is best shared with others openly and generously. This is the origin of ethics.
If there were gods there is no reason to assume they would have any concern for the welfare of humanity as we would be unnecessary for there security or well being, If we can have a full and rewarding life with out any god, and we can, there is no benefit in the belief in or worship of God.
If there is no soul them death does not bring about pain as all sensation cease when we die. Our bodies feed the soil, which feed the next generation of living things. Our breath replenishes the atmosphere of which the gasses used in life of the planets plants and animals I breath the same air that my ancient ancestors breathed they live within me now. Because with death there are no feelings, and that which has no awareness of suffering is not worth worrying about. We do not need eternity because eternity is the now not the future.
When have peace of mind and have no pain then we have attained happiness. When boredom, anxiety, emotional, physical or mental pain is removed or brought under control we can now be happy.
Even when in pain we cannot control or eliminated here are still other thing that we can focus on to give us joy.
When we live with humility, honor, compassion and understanding of the lives of others then our happiness is founded on a deep sense of social justice, equality, liberty and sustainability then ecological balance, self-determination, fairness, and common wisdom becomes with in our reach. This is the first step in creating peace between advocacies.
If gods truly exist there is no reason to assume they would even care about humanity. They have no need for humanity to make them more complete. If it is possible to have a full rich and complete life for people without a god, and it is, there is no reason to either believe in or worship God. Because also the soul is not necessary for happiness in this life there is no reason to believe in a soul. If there were no soul then all sensation would cease upon death. With out pain there is no reason to fear death. For there would be no pain then death is not our greatest fear.
Death is a natural part of life and cannot be avoided. Our bodies replenish the soil, which feeds the plants, which feed the next generation of living things on this planet. Our breath replenishes the atmosphere with the gasses that has sustained the forests, plains and oceans of the earth, which provides the breath of live for all living things. The breath I breathe was the same breath that filled the lunges of my ancient ancestors. The fact remains eternity is not in the future but in the now. Eternity means nothing if cannot fill the present as the future is another time. If fear of God’s wrath or fear of death takes away for our current enjoyment then lets abandon god and eternal life for a good life today.
With eliminating pain we can begin to enjoy this life today. Even with pain we cannot totally eliminate there is still pleasures we can enjoy. To this then our pleasure offer security from the evil of others. While we cannot control what others do, we can the environment of our own lives. Through an understanding that the good life is founded an appreciating of the “other”. That sympathetic understanding is initiated from a personal commitment to compassion, equality, liberty, fairness and social justice as a part of a deeper loyalty to kindness, reasonableness, deliverance, self-determination and communal accord. If wealth is established upon poverty, if the poor are poor because they are they are exploit through their labor that creates that wealth for others and that coercion is required to keep the poor powerless then this is a source of conflict and pain for both the weak and the powerful. If power is fragile and hard to maintain then it is a source of concern for the powerful. Only through and equitable distribution of wealth and power can peace of mind for both the master and slave is established. If the wealthy are bandits and the poor are prey then all wealth is theft and the ultimate source of conflict leading to pain.
If pleasure is the final goal in life and all virtue that is true virtue increase the celebration of life. But, not all gratification is equal. If a gratification while enjoyable in the short run comes with a cost of increasing pain in the long run then maybe it is not all that pleasant after all. The are really good delights that are intense and healthy, but because the are blissful they cannot be sustained and that is good because this joy leads to long term contentment based upon serenity, tranquility and peace of mind. What add to our enjoyment of life are the diversity joys and pleasures we are capable of in really good life.
Because the things that produce the pleasure of recklessness are short time they can be avoided. Along those lines otherworldly rewards do not increase our happiness because with heaven comes non-heaven also called hell. The elements of uncertainty make religion a lot like debauchery. Fear of death comes with uncertainty. Being freed from this fear, like freedom from the fear of pain makes death no big deal if this life is good. Because working my way to paradise in the next life is only moderately satisfying because there is always an element of uncertainty. If there is no immortal soul that survives death then we can concentrate on the enjoyment in this life. If tranquility is the long lasting and ultimate pleasure and if the short-term thrills we seek do not produce long lasting pain when over with then our days will be filled with happiness. Death comes to all and there is no pain after we die, therefore it need not be feared.
Real knowledge of the nature of our humanity, this world and the universe can give us hours if not a lifetime of intellectual joy. Security is given to those who examine information of nature scrupulously. If we are concerned about and fear God we will fail to learn about the nature of the world and society. With knowledge comes security; with security comes peace of mind. Before we can fix what is broken we need to know what is broken.
If we own what can be easily can be replaced and everyone has her basic needs met, then theft becomes a minor offence. If we put friendship and a love for our commonly shared humanity above material items then we have the security of comradeship and the commemoration of our cooperatively delivered goodwill to give us peace of mind.
The resources of nature are limited. Wealth derived from limited resources creates poverty. This is immoral at its core because this kind of poverty is avoidable. The wise learn that when there is no longer hunger among the wealthy no one can justify inequality. Wealth and poverty stand opposed, yet one is dependent on the other. Together they create a world of conflict. If science can be used to understand nature and protect us from disease, help to deal with famine, storms and natural disasters, then science can be used to eliminate poverty and create an economy in which the poor are no longer dependent on the wealthy to survive at the most basic level. If joy is the highest virtue for the individual, then joy is the highest virtue for all living things on our tiny world. One hungry child lessens the humanity of all of the rest of us. Wealth prevents the full enjoyment of the many. Injustice is anything that lessens the full enjoyment of life of even one member of society, if a more equitable distribution could prevent that suffering.
Ideology is often confused with data. If opinion replaces statistics about what our possibilities are we lessen the possibility of a better life for all. Because if we obscure the rest of our feelings for justice by our unjustified judgments about social reality prevents us from looking at alternatives to an economy born out exploitation, then substitutions are seen as unreal. Data and sociology as a science becomes irrelevant because we will refuse to examine any imaginable measure of social facts. If in your beliefs grounded upon judgment will rapidly encourage the on going oppression of the poor, then fear of conflict, theft and war become a life style. Both peace and peace of mind we begin with equality founded upon fairness and compassion.
True wealth provided by nature and a just society is easily obtained. We take care of each other and poverty disappears worldwide. Avarice and narcissism are the cornerstone of a profit driven economy. When basic needs are met, then we can derive pleasure through make a contribution to the health, safety and pleasure of all members of our society. Epicurus defines pleasure and peace of mind as the best ultimate goals i.e. low-key hedonism.
Epicurean is often defined as the popular view of hedonism meaning sensual, carnal, gluttonous, and luxurious to excess. But, this is false Epicureanism in some ways has more in common with Buddhism then with Epicureanism of popular definitions. Buddha and Epicurus offered a path to understanding and peace of mind. Peace of mind being primary avoiding disillusionment is key. Because of this the only faith that really makes sense in a faith n the lack of faith. Buddha taught by giving up desire we give up disappointment. Epicurus by giving up faith we give up disillusionment. People must face the fact that anything can happen at any time. We take precautions and make plans this increase our odds. Love one’s die or abandon us. Our lives like the weather is, in spite of modern science in remains unpredictable. Disillusionment is a constant and failure is always possible. We need a philosophy to give us peace of mind.
Life is without meaning. Camus said there is only one meaningful philosophical question whether or not to commit suicide. Some religions help by looking forward to a better life after death. But, this comes with uncertainty. Either it may not be true, or our reward may not be a reward after all. But, both Buddhism and Epicureanism accept the utter arbitrariness of life and teach not only to accept this but also to embrace it. With Buddhism the cessations of desires leads to nirvana, Epicureanism this is the pursuit of happiness.
Epicureans had no use for Gods or gods. Buddha was silent on the issue seeing God as a diversion. Epicureans are philosophical materialists. Epicurus appeared not be an atheist, but held that gods and people never interact, thus gods are irrelevant. Most of his followers today are atheist and agnostic or both. Buddhism remains neutral on the issue of god leaving that question unanswered.
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