Epicurus’ View on Hedonism

Epicurus was an ancient Greek philosopher that lived from 341 BC to 270 BC. He was
famous for discussing the ideas of Hedonism. Epicurus settled in Athen in 308 BC
where he founded his own School of Philosophy, Epicureanism to rival Plato’s
Academy and Aristotle’s Lyceum (Fitzpatrick, 2018, p.1). Epicurus presides over it for
over 30 years gaining more follower until his eventual death in 271 BC. His school
however continued to flourish in its later years.

Epicurus viewed the ultimate good in life as pleasure unlike Aristotle who stated that
people can achieved it by being happy. The view that pleasure is the greatest of all
goods is called hedonism and Epicurus for most of his live and came to a set of
remarkable conclusion to what man actually need to achieve it. When most people
think of Hedonism, they think of it as what has been describe by The Cyrenaics which
is pleasure comes from bodily pleasures that of which came from food and sexual
gratification. Epicurus Hedonism however was far off from that of Cyrenaics’. Though
he agreed that bodily pleasures is the most intense pleasure however over indulge in
such can not bring people to a pleasurable life. He believed that bodily pleasure are of
short in duration but often followed by pain. Thus he concluded that avoidance of pain
is essential for one to seek a pleasurable life. To avoid pain, people simply need to stop
seeking bodily pleasure and decline if opportunity to engage in one arises.
Paradoxically, Epicurus stated that pleasurable life is the life in which people avoid
chasing after pleasures.

Further, Epicurus discussed how one can act to achieve this good. He believed that one
of the obstacle for people to achieve of good life is their ignorance of the nature of own
desires. As he explained, all desire can be place under one the 3 categories which are
Natural and Necessary desire, Natural and Unnecessary desire, and Unnatural and
Unnecessary desire. Firstly there are desire which we shared with animal that of natural
and necessary. It include the desire for food, water and shelter. It can be consider
natural because it is not the product of social conditioning and that we must fulfill it to
achieve a sustainable life. Secondly there are desires that natural but unnecessary. The
most prominent one in this category is the desire of sexual gratification. It is necessary
in nature but Epicurus stated people can satiate this desire but no more than to avoid

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pain and not to seek pleasure. Lastly there are unnatural and unnecessary pleasures in
life which become the main problem to people inability to live a pleasurable life. Such
desires include the desire for fame, wealth, acceptance and many more that are socially
conditioned. This desire is the one that keeps people in chain and lead them to
continuous state of want and pain.

Epicurus practiced what he believed. In Athens, he set founded a philosophical

sanctuary called “The Garden” where individuals can practice self discipline and
engage in philosophical discussion with friends. Pierre Hadot in his book “what is
ancient philosophy” summarized Epicurus simple style of life “ Above all, Epicurians
believed that it is necessary to practice the discipline of desires. We must learn to be
content with what is easy to obtain and what satisfy organism fundamental need, while
renouncing what is superfluous. A simple formula, but one that cannot but imply a
radical upheaval of our lives. It mean being content with simple foods and simple
clothes; while renouncing wealth, honour and public position; and living in retreat”.

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