Epicurus

Epicurus (341–270 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher who founded Epicureanism. He taught that pleasure, understood chiefly as freedom from bodily pain and mental disturbance, is the highest good.

Epicureanism: A Hellenistic philosophical school that treats pleasure, prudence, and freedom from disturbance as foundations of the good life. Epicurus founded this school and shaped its central doctrines.
Epicurean physics: The Epicurean account of nature as atoms moving through void, with events arising without divine management. Epicurus used a naturalistic cosmos to weaken fear of divine punishment.
Ancient Greek philosophy: The philosophical traditions that developed in the Greek-speaking world from the sixth century BCE onward. Epicurus entered a long-running debate about nature, knowledge, and the good life.
Metrodorus of Lampsacus: A leading Epicurean philosopher and close associate of Epicurus. He helped establish the school’s community and develop its teachings.
Letter to Menoeceus: A surviving letter attributed to Epicurus that summarizes his ethical teachings and reflections on death and the gods. It offers a concise first-person account of Epicurus’s practical philosophy.
Ataraxia: A state of tranquility and freedom from mental disturbance sought by ancient Greek philosophers. Epicurus made freedom from mental disturbance a central feature of happiness.
Epicurean atomism: The theory that all bodies consist of indivisible atoms moving in empty space. This physical theory underlies Epicurus’s explanations of nature and the soul.
Democritus: A fifth-century BCE Greek philosopher associated with an atomist account of matter and the void. Epicurus adapted atomist ideas while revising their account of motion and choice.
Hermarchus: An early Epicurean philosopher who succeeded Epicurus as head of the Garden. His succession helped preserve the school after Epicurus’s death.
Principal Doctrines: A collection of forty short statements summarizing central Epicurean teachings. These maxims preserve the school’s compressed ethical and philosophical guidance.

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