Epicureanism and Stoicism: Two Ancient Philosophies
Epicureanism: A Philosophy for a Happy Life
Epicurus (341-270 BC) was born in Samos and lived in Athens. His conception of the good and optimal human behavior differed greatly from Aristotle’s political vision. Epicurus advocated for the affirmation of the individual and their conscience as the core of morality.
Epicurus conceived philosophy as a way of life. Epicureanism, rather than being a rigid philosophical system, is a practical approach to living. Epicurus’s thought is based on three fundamental ideas:
- Physics and Logic for Happiness: Epicurus believed that both physics and logic are tools to achieve happiness. Regarding logic, he thought the basic criterion of knowledge is sensation, which is always true. Error arises from judgment that “imagines” or represents ideas without basis in fact. The usefulness of physics is to help us overcome the fear of death, a major cause of unhappiness.
- Happiness as Pleasure and the Absence of Pain: Epicurean ethics identifies happiness with pleasure, specifically the absence of pain. This is a selective pleasure, known as apatheia, or serenity of mind. It involves an attempt to avoid unrest. The first step is to dissolve fear. Second, one must understand that it is easy to obtain good and endure pain. Not all pleasures are good, and not all pain is bad. The sage knows which pleasures and pains are positive and strives for independence from their own desires through the cultivation of thought or spiritual life.
- Autarky and Friendship: Achieving independence from desires and other people is the concept of autarky, in which lies pleasure or happiness. Politics is based on greed, and it is unrealistic to believe it is possible to transform the world. The only thing of true worth is the value of friendship.
Stoicism: Living in Harmony with Nature
Stoicism was a philosophical current from the 3rd century BC to the 2nd century AD. The Stoics developed a comprehensive and systematic way of thinking in which logic, physics, and ethics are interrelated and complementary. They believed in a universe where all beings are integrated and subject to a law of nature that governs both the physical world and human behavior. The role of philosophy is to understand this law, adjust to it, and recognize it as inevitable. Accepting what cannot be changed and cooperating with the cosmos is the aim of the wise. This is a deterministic philosophy; freedom is simply the knowledge of necessity.
The Stoics preached ataraxia as a way of living, which is the acceptance of what cannot be avoided or does not depend on us: misery, suffering, and death. The virtuous person is one who achieves ataraxia.
Zeno, one of the first Stoics, said that the important thing is to be convinced that things are “indifferent,” meaning they should not worry us. There is a difference between raw facts and the meaning we assign to them. The error lies in the “misjudgment,” in the representation we have of reality.
Stoicism promoted a cosmic conception of equality: all people are equal to the extent that they are all part of the cosmos and are subject to the same natural law.
To ingratiate oneself with reality is what has come to be understood as Stoic resignation, the only way to cope with adversity. It is within our power to transform anxiety and pain into inner peace. The only weapon for this is thought, the only thing that truly sets us free.