The Epicurian School was founded by Epicurus of Athens, or perhaps Samothrace (d. c. 270 B.C.). He founded a school of philosophy in his home in Athens. Upon the gate to his home was written, “Stranger, here you will do well to tarry; here our highest good is pleasure.”

Epicurians believed that that everything was the result of accident. They admitted that there were some rules in nature, but argued that these rules developed over time without any real purpose. Since everything was temporary, Epicurians believed that men should make the best of their lives in the face of chaos. They should pursue a life dedicated to hêdonê. Now, for the followers of Aristippus, this word meant “sensory pleasure,” but for Epicureans it meant the avoidance of pain. Epicurius argued that pleasure was simply an absence of pain, because pleasurable experiences derived from the senses would , in all probability, ultimately end in pain.

Epicurus rejected the extremism of the Cyrenaics, believing some pleasures and indulgences to be detrimental to human beings. In fact, Epicureans observed that indiscriminate indulgence sometimes resulted in negative consequences. Some experiences were therefore rejected out of hand, and some unpleasant experiences might be endured in the present in order to ensure a better life in the future. The greatest good to Epicurus was prudence exercised through moderation and caution. Excessive indulgence can be destructive to pleasure and can even lead to pain. For example, eating one food too often will cause a person to lose a taste for it. Eating too much food at once will lead to discomfort and ill-health. Drinking too much wine this evening might be a pleasurable experience, but wait until tomorrow morning! Pain and fear were to be avoided. Living was essentially good, barring pain and illness. Death was not to be feared. Fear was considered the source of most unhappiness. Conquering the fear of death would naturally lead to a happier life. Epicurus reasoned if there was an afterlife and immortality, the fear of death was irrational. If there was no life after death, then one would not be around to suffer, fear or worry; one would be non-existent after death. Epicureans argued that it is irrational to fret over circumstances that do not exist or cannot be determined.

Epicureans also stressed a withdrawal from public life, and, for that matter, from all activities likely to cause stress and therefore pain. If one entered public life and failed, then the promise of life faded and caused the pain of humiliation, frustration and anger. Similarly, marriage and family life, sources of pleasure for Greeks and Romans, became troublesome for Epicureans. If one married and had children, one took great risks. The pleasures of married life could cause great pain if one lost one’s wife or children, if a wife was unfaithful, if children were unruly or rebellious. All of the blessings of political or marital life were mixed, fraught with danger to individual peace and happiness. So, Epicureans withdrew from public and political life in order to protect themselves from the inevitable pain of trying to cope with a chaotic world.

We will be looking at a long poem, De Rerum Natura which means “On the Nature of Things,” written by a Roman Epicurean named Titus Lucretius Carus (ca. 99 BC- ca. 55 BC). We know very little about Lucretius, as he is called. We know that he was a contemporary to Cicero, that he was a relatively well known poet (though De Rerum is the only one of his works that has survived), and we are pretty sure that Lucretius died before he had finished De Rerum and that someone finished it form him. Lucretius produced an amazing summation of Epicurean thought in a single long Latin poem.