Epicurus

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Epicurus, not so great...
The Greek Buddha
To Epicurus
The antidote to human stupidity and greed.
Enjoyed reading Epicurus, but the book can be improved

The Essential Epicurus: Letters, Principal Doctrines, Vatican Sayings, and Fragments (Great Books in Philosophy)
Epicurus
Manufacturer: Prometheus Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Enchiridion

ASIN: 0879758104

Customer Reviews:

Epicurus, not so great..........2007-05-29

A disappointment. At first, I really liked his 'No pain' theorem, but after reading this book (which wasn't so greatly organized or collaborated), I discovered that, yes, perhaps he was looked down on by other Europeans because he elaborated on rather communist ideals. Personally, I like a few of his segments, but NOT his oeuvre en total. This book, either.

The Greek Buddha.......2003-05-22

Epicurus lived in the Athens of Plato. He attracted a host of followers to his preferred teaching place, a garden. There he taught them the ultimately anti-Platonic truths: this life is the only one, it is good, and the best way to live it is by maximizing stable pleasures.

Few philosophers have been more maligned and underappreciated. The Platonists and their ilk (the later Christians) found Epicurus' teachings too much focused on this world and not enough on the other. They thought he taught unalloyed hedonism and accused the Epicureans of wild orgies. Today, an Epicurean is thought of as an effete, wine-sipping decadent. All of these conceptions are completely wrong.

Starting with the truth that everything is made from the material of atoms (after Democritus), Epicurus determined that our consciousness must necessarily die with the death of our bodies. Since this is the only life it should be the sole focus of our efforts. In this mortal life we must maximize our pleasure and minimize our pain. Pleasure is defined as the avoidance of pain and the stabilization of comfort. The most reliable comforts are certainly not sex, drugs, rock and roll-all such things are unstable pleasures that lead to greater appetites. The best pleasures are those that can be controlled without much effort such as good friendship, good cheer, and an appreciation for the simple things. By avoiding epicurean dishes (our misreading) and satisfying our appetites with the most basic, most easily attainable foods, we sate our hunger. The full belly wants neither caviar nor black bread. Taking this principle to all other pleasures, Epicurus finds them easily satisfied.

Much of our turmoil is due to immaterial concerns, the attainment of more power, money, love, and the evasion of death. Epicurus shows, point-by-point, how these concerns can be wrestled into submission. Once the basic pleasures are met and one's anxieties are minimized life becomes simple and good. Before Christianity put non-Chrisitians under the sword, Epicureanism had become immensely popular and was constantly growing. It is time it resumed its natural course.

O'Connor's translations personify the philosopher himself-they are clear and elegant. This is an insightful, exciting, and pleasant read.

To Epicurus.......2003-01-16

The first to bring grain to uneasy mortals
in times past was the famous city of Athens
which made life anew and instituted laws:
And first brought delicious consolation to life
when she gave birth to the man of genius so extraordinary
that everything came from a mouth devoted to truth
so that, even though now he is dead, his divine discoveries
spread abroad, carrying his glory to the sky.

For when he saw that whatever men's needs demanded,
so far as may be, to keep their lives in safety,
was there at hand already for their use,
that men had all they could want in the way of wealth
and honor and praise, and pride in successful children;
Yet, at home each was perpetually disquieted
and the mind was enslaved by all its bitter complaints;
He understood that the trouble was in the container
and because of some flaw in it, everything would go bad
whatever excellent things were put into it:
Partly because there were holes and things flowed through them
and there was no possibility of filling it up;
And partly because what did get in was spoiled,
so to speak, by the nauseous taste there was inside.

The truth was what he used to purify hearts with
and he set a limit to fear as to desire;
He explained what it is that all of us really want
and showed us the way along a little path
which makes it possible for us to go straight there;
He showed what evils there are in human affairs
and how they were brought about by the force of nature,
popping up by change or because nature worked that way;
And he showed how best to face each of these difficulties
and proved that the human race was generally vain
in the way it ruminated in its gloomy thoughts.
For just as children are afraid of the dark
their elders are as often as not afraid in the light
of things which there is as little cause to fear
as those which children imagine to frighten themselves.
These grown-up terrors are also no more than shadows
and yet they are nothing that the sunlight can dissipate:
What is needed is the rational study of nature.

Who is skillful enough to produce an adequate poem
about the magnificent world and these discoveries about it?
Does anyone so use language that he can praise appropriately
the man who made these discoveries and left them for us?

Compare what he did with what the other gods did.

I follow you, nothing better has come out of Greece,
and now, where the print of your foot fell, I place my own,
not in jealous competition but out of love
which constrains me to imitate you. For does the swallow
set herself against swans? Or the wobbling kid
think that she should go as fast as a racehorse?
You discovered nature, father: you gave us instruction
and left the whole matter set out in your writings
where, just as bees help themselves in the meadows,
we can replenish ourselves with your golden sayings;
Golden, in that they are of permanent value.

As soon as your theory, the product of an intellect
something more than human, began to make some noise,
the fears that haunt minds disappeared, the walls of the world
gave way, and I saw through all space how everything happens...

By Lucretius
Written 50 B.C.E

The antidote to human stupidity and greed........2001-12-27

This book does not rely on a god or a saviour to lead a smart and fulfilling life. It relies soley on reason and what an effective use of it by epicurus! Most of epicurus works are either lost or destroyed, but this book contains his essential teachings. Epicurus did not deny the existance of the gods. This would make sense. If the universe is infinite as he says, then all possible things already exist in one way or another. According to epicurus one should live out his natural life, this would be prudent. This life is the only one you get. He writes that by being prudent ie; looking at both sides of an issue to find truth and getting only what you need, you can live a smart and happy life. After life is over one goes to eternal oblivion, free of all suffering forever. The ironic thing about epicurus is that he admits there are gods. If one reads what he writes carefully, one finds that one doesnt need to go to heaven or even to exist. Since it is not needed, one loses nothing. The same thing can be said for the wild goose chase, most people are engaged in for happiness. They want bigger houses, more expensive cars, more cash, etc. and instead of gaining happiness gain more misery. Why? Because the truth is you gain happiness by getting only what you need. Epicurus writes that those who are not satisfied with a little, will never be satisfied even with a lot or even infinity. The more you have above need, the more worry, headache and problems. This in no way is conducive to happiness. These writings are some of the most brilliant in the entire realm of philosophy. This book gets two thumbs up!

Enjoyed reading Epicurus, but the book can be improved.......2001-11-18

Most of the other reviers have given this book five stars, and I would too, if I thought this book was perfect! The book does encompass all of Epicurus' first hand writing in English. I did enjoy reading the book and wished we had more of his writinga especially on friendship which in my opinion surpasses Platonic and Aristotilian philosophy. However, I think a copy of the greek text with an apparatus would be highly helpful, especially in writing a good philosophy paper on Epicurus because many different English translations are rendered from the greek fragment, and one word translated obscurely may mean all the difference in philosophical thought.

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Great investigation of Epicurianism, but a bit boring

Facing Death: Epicurus and His Critics
James Warren
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
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ASIN: 019929769X

Book Description

The ancient philosophical school of Epicureanism tried to argue that death is 'nothing to us'. Were they right? James Warren provides a comprehensive study and articulation of the interlocking arguments against the fear of death found not only in the writings of Epicurus himself, but also in Lucretius' poem De rerum natura and in Philodemus' work De morte. These arguments are central to the Epicurean project of providing ataraxia (freedom from anxiety) and therefore central to an understanding of Epicureanism as a whole. They also offer significant resources for modern discussions of the value of death - one which stands at the intersection of metaphysics and ethics. If death is the end of the subject, and the subject can not be benefited nor harmed after death, is it reasonable nevertheless to fear the ceasing-to-be? If the Epicureans are not right to claim that the dead can neither be benefited nor harmed, what alternative models might be offered for understanding the harm done by death and do these alternatives suffer from any further difficulties? The discussion involves consideration of both ethical and metaphysical topics since it requires analysis not only of the nature of a good life but also the nature of personal identity and time. A number of modern philosophers have offered criticisms or defences of the Epicureans' views. Warren explores and evaluates these in the light of a systematic and detailed study of the precise form and intention of the Epicureans' original arguments. Warren argues that the Epicureans also were interested in showing that mortality is not to be regretted and that premature death is not to be feared. Their arguments for these conclusions are to be found in their positive conception of the nature of a good and complete life, which divorce the completeness of a life as far as possible from considerations of its duration. Later chapters investigate the nature of a life lived without the fear of death and pose serious problems for the Epicureans being able to allow any concern for the post mortem future and being able to offer a positive reason for prolonging a life which is already complete in their terms.

Customer Reviews:

Great investigation of Epicurianism, but a bit boring.......2005-05-17

Maybe you stumbled on a description of Epicurus' philosophy and were attracted to it, like I was. A review in Skeptic magazine included a quote:

"God should not concern us.
Death is not to be feared.
What is good is easy to obtain.
What is bad is easily avoided."

A nice perspective to have, as the modern world becomes more and more hedonistic, and God seems more and more out of the picture.

I read Warren's book a couple months ago, so please forgive my fuzziness. The first section is very engaging--a wonderful philosopher's breakdown of the conflicts and claims Epicureanism. In particular, it enumerates the many fears one can have regarding death. My purpose, as yours may be, in reading this book was to see how Epicurus claims to deal with these. This first section promised an investigation into these fears (and true enough, the book delivered).

The second section is on the symmetry argument (not existing before birth doesn't bother us, neither should absence after death). This is an interesting argument, but is not convincing (he agrees, and reserves some criticisms for later). However, it is definitely much too long--I almost wish I'd skipped it.

The rest of the book analyzes some other objections to Epicurianism, from the fear of mortality to the unsustainability of their perfect life (nutshell: at every moment you are satisfied with having lived your life. How can you justify preserving it?).

In fact my only objection to his arguments is in the Epicurean Will section (why write a will if you have no care what happens after your death?). It seems obvious to me that you might write a will to appease and comfort those around you (your grandson might be less nice to you in life if you didn't promise to give him your house when you died; thus you'd be more unhappy.)

In the later parts of the book, he digs deeper into the primary texts of the early practicers, trying to get a handle on what Epicurus taught. I was a little disappointed (slightly uplifted later, at the conclusion) that less time was spent analyzing the viability of these teachings--at this point it became too historical for my taste.

The book is obsessively footnoted, so many of the issues he raises (not only with historical interpretations, but also in viability) can be further explored in literature (some online, some not). Many point to dry topics, but undoubtedly some address my objections.

To tell the truth, in the end I was uninterested in a lot of the conclusions. I'd realized that at least one of my particular major objections were not going to be addressed. Still, I think that alot of the issues, examples, and counterpoints he makes are very illuminating. I have benefitted from reading this book, and as soon as I can get around to it, plan to look up some more argumentative modern defenses of Epicurianism.

The Epicurus Reader: Selected Writings and Testimonia (HPC Classics)

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An Eye Opener about Living with Eyes Open
An Eye Opener about living with Eyes Open

The Epicurus Reader: Selected Writings and Testimonia (HPC Classics)
Epicurus , and Brad Inwood
Manufacturer: Hackett Publishing Company
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Customer Reviews:

An Eye Opener about Living with Eyes Open.......1999-02-27

Let me say at the outset that Epicurus is hard to understand because we have only fragments of his work.

Epicurus is important to people living in the third millenium because he realized, as most of us do, that traditional religion is not very believable.

In his time the Hellenistic and Roman world was about to fall into a morass of Eastern religions, spiritualism, and superstition familiar to third millenium people living amid Tibetan and Zen Buddhism, Wicca, and New Age.

Epicurus has two huge virtues that make him worth reading even now.

He is ferociously smart for one. Some of his insights about physical phenomena millenia before the invention of real scientific instruments are astonishing.

The other is that he is unrelentingly honest and rigorous. His premise is that we only know what we can find out from our senses and our reason. This is immensely liberating from all the causistry, tradition, authority, and sentiment of both culture and counter-culture.

An Eye Opener about living with Eyes Open.......1999-02-27

Let me say at the outset that Epicurus is hard to understand because we have only fragments of his work.

Epicurus is important to people living in the third millenium because he realized, as most of us do, that traditional religion is not very believable.

Epicurus has two huge virtues that make him worth reading even now.

He is ferociously smart for one. Some of his insights about physical phenomena millenia before the invention of real scientific instruments are astonishing.

Product Description

Handbook of Greek Philosophy is a real guide for anyone who wants to know about Ancient Greek philosophy, but he does not know how to start. Since there are thousands of writings about it, the one who is eager to be informed of Greek philosophy, is all at sea. With the present study one can be gradually initiated into the main principles of the great philosophers, whose thought is the basis of the modern philosophical thought. Due to chronological presentation of the fifteen Greek philosophical schools, the reader can gradually get to the understanding of the philosophical terms and concepts, beginning with the simple (of Thales, Anaximander etc..) and proceeding to the most complex ones (Plato, Aristotle etc..). The original fragments, which have been carefully selected out of thousands, along with their thorough analysis, can enable the reader to fathom the reasoning of the Greek thinkers, and acquire a deep comprehension of their Gnoseology, Ontology and Ethics. With this substantial work of scholarship, both the student and the teacher of philosophy alike can find useful concepts, ideas and quotations, so as to broaden their knowledge and views of philosophy. Apart from that, this essay can help them to make a further inquiry concerning Ontology and Ethics of Greek Philosophy.

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant interpretation .......2006-06-25

I find most of the reviews really enlightening on the qualities of the book; so to say ` an excellent guide and interpretation of Greek philosophy and not a mere collection of translated texts of the Greek thinkers'. However, I would not agree with such a discriminating proposal as `to rewrite the book in native speaking English', unless we mean to suggest that Leibniz and Beckett's excellent writings in French and Wittgenstein's works in English should be rewritten by a native language speaking person.

The author, by developing progressively the concepts and due to his brilliant interpretation of the different philosophical schools of thought, leads the reader to gradual comprehension of the Greek philosophical conceptions. The `Doric' style of the language (poor), following the Greek philosophical tradition, does not interfere with the reader's understanding, but on the contrary develops a feeling of immediacy and prompts the student to go on and to search through the original writings of the philosophers by himself. All that makes the book valuable as a guide and introduction to Greek philosophy, because it increases the reader's awareness of philosophical questions and consequently it is getting more people interested in philosophy.

Illuminating and useful tool for the student of classical philosophy.......2006-01-10

Although a philosophical work, I found this book immensely stimulating and made me want to read more and more. Its gradual development of the concepts, its clear and essential interpretation of the Greek philosophers' sayings, along with its references to their works helps the reader to achieve a great deal of understanding. To sum up, the references to the Greek philosophical terms, which are very well interpreted, make the book an illuminating and useful guide for any student of philosophy.

Excellent introduction to Ancient Greek philosophy.......2005-12-28

I am a student of philosophy and I have had many difficulties in understanding the Greek philosophical terms and concepts. This book with its countless citations enabled me to understand all these terms like logos, phronesis, doxa, episteme, nous, eudaimonia etc. Due to its essential reference to the most of the Presocratics I could finally grasp the metaphysical and epistemological concepts of Plato and Aristotle. The author does not only show the way to discover the Greek wisdom through the innumerable fragments, but he also helps the student to do a further research into the enormous work of Plato and Aristotle, since he quotes the references of their work related to certain topics.
Really amazing and helpful work!!

Excellent book of ancient Greek philosophy.......2005-08-23

Finally I found the right book, which helped me to understand the main concepts of ancient Greek philosophy.

back to the origins in Greek philosophy.......2005-08-20

This little 'Handbook of Greek Philosophy' introduces the reader to all those authors who have become a staple of any history of European philosophy: Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, Pythagoras, Heraclitus, Parmenides, Empedocles, Anaxagoras, Democritus, the Sophists, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, and the Stoics.

The author had the good idea to devote nearly half of the pages to the Pre-Socratics from Thales to Democritus. As a result of this, much of what we know from Plato becomes better understandable, and besides this reader's awareness of the wealth of thoughts debated before the rise of Socrates is much heightened.

The term 'handbook' is a bit misleading, since this is not a magisterial work bringing several pounds of heavy scholarship onto your desk. It is more aptly called 'a first guide to the origins of European philosophy for the uninitiated.' However, this should not devalue the book. The book radiates the charm of old diaries and notebooks. There are many valuable nuggets strewn throughout the text, so one gets hooked and reads on.

There are some minor technical weaknesses. Readers looking for a synoptic vision which puts all things in their proper context and builds a grandiose web of cross references will be disappointed. But the bottom-line is: Read this book and you will have not wasted your time but on the contrary gained a strong feeling of what philosophy is all about and how the Greeks did it.

From the countless citations an intense feeling of immediacy develops, of being near to the sources from where philosophy once sprang like from a well of fresh water. What looks like a weakness turns out to be a strength: The author is not standing in the way of getting at the sources of original insight but makes you go there yourself.

I have to admit that I am no specialist on Greek philosophy, while the author seems to be. Thus I cannot evaluate the quality of the selections. But this does not change my evaluation as a reader that the book deserves close reading and will repay study.

Because there remains much to be improved in technicalities as is cross-referencing and index etc. I gave only 4 stars this time.

The garden of Epicurus, (The works of Anatole France in an English translation)

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The garden of Epicurus, (The works of Anatole France in an English translation)
Anatole France
Manufacturer: Dodd, Mead
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006D9SBI

Epicurus: His Continuing Influence And Contemporary Relevance

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Relevant, All-Too-Relevant
you will not get seven virgins after your death ...

Epicurus: His Continuing Influence And Contemporary Relevance

Manufacturer: RIT Cary Graphic Arts Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0971345961

Customer Reviews:

Relevant, All-Too-Relevant.......2007-04-17

Rarely do I recommend secondary sources over primary ones; this book in an exception. The reason is obvious: Epicurus, the most popular and prolific philosopher of antiquity, writing over 37 volumes, is largely lost to us. What the Church did to eliminate these texts one can only guess. But if any philosophy is set diametrically against Judeo-Christian-Islam, Epicurus's is. Since only fragments and reports from others in antiquity survive, Epicurus requires scholarship to pull it all together from so many disparate sources.

Epicurus, the Founder of Epicureanism, continues to be reviled for his materialism, hedonism, atheism, disproof of an afterlife, his tranquility of mind (ataraxia) toward anxiety, his praise of both emotions and reason, for his cultivation of friendship, his praise of love, etc. Let's start with the most "controversial" of his theories: Hedonism. The self-evident principle is to maximize pleasure, minimize pain. Pleasure, for Epicurus, requires a "disciplined" approach, not wild licentious abandon. For example, over-indulgence of any appetite, say deep-fried calamari (my favorite food), for each meal and snack every day of every week loses its pleasure. Calamari all the time makes calamari banal, if not detested. Thus, one must approach each appetite that brings pleasure with a modicum of discipline, balance, and moderation (a very Greek concept). Mutatis mutandis, every other appetite, including sexual.

Epicurus and his disciple Lucretius anticipated Darwin and a materialistic based universe, which, of course, is opposed by Platonism, Christianity, and other metaphysical schemes. His physics remains primitive by today's standards, but his claim that all are atoms or a void "fits" modern physics like a glove.

Like Plato and Aristotle before him, the Charioteer and Two Steeds (Psyche at the reins of emotion and reason) are intended to "govern" or "direct" human emotions to their moderate end through the use of reason. Typical of Greek ethics and values, excess and deficiency are vices, moderation is a virtue. Justice, for example, is taking anger over a violation and moderating the lawful and equal to its proper harbor, without an excess of anger leading to murder and mayhem, and without a deficiency of anger leading to indifference and abuse. Compare this view with Jesus's, who extols turning the cheek to be abused again. To the Greeks that would be unjust. Self-defense is moderate and a virtue, heated tempers an excess of anger, and turning the other cheek a case of masochistic abuse.

Several Church Fathers embraced Stoicism's apathea (apathy, indifference) rather than Epicurus's ataraxia (tranquility, imperturbability), regarding emotions as "brutish, animistic, and sub-human." Not Epicurus. Some emotions cannot be discharged through the moderating influence of reason (for any number of reasons), and those cases require a tranquil resignation of forces larger than ourselves. But where we can effect virtue, can alter an injustice into justice, our sense of justice requires it. Otherwise, in Nietzsche's famed statement, we submit to Slave Morality. Guess who figures prominently an Nietzsche's call to return to Greek values?

The ancient Skeptics disavowed both reason and the senses. Not Epicurus. Our sensory experience is always veridical. And, while reason is never infallible, it alone steers human sensory experience and emotions to the harbors of tranquility, and to the Final End of Human Flourishing. Anxiety, which the Stoics would simply choose to be indifferent to, is a force to reconcile, and if beyond the realm of resolution, simply to be resigned to. Sage Epicureanism: "if you do not reconcile your behavior with the goal of nature, then there will be a conflict between theory and practice."

The Angst of Modernity, the Death of God, the Pendulum of Extremes, the Rise of Irrationality are all predictable reactions when the "opiates of the masses" are removed, whether religious, Marxist, Freudian, or Cults like Heaven's Gate, Jim Jones, and the "Jesus Camp" folk. Without the certainty that Authority brings, whether the Church, the Bible, the Empire, Nationalism, Therapeutics, etc., it might serve our modern anxieties to become reacquainted with Greek thought, especially Epicurus. Commonsense, nature, and tranquility do not need "deities" or "opiates," just a sense of purpose, a sense of living well, and a commonsense that is simply obvious.

Gordon's synthesis from various sources produces an excellent alternative to the Reactions-to-Reactions. No philosopher of Antiquity remains more relevant, more stigmatized, more marginalized, and more despised, all of which are reasons to make Epicurus's acquaintance.

you will not get seven virgins after your death ..........2005-08-17

It is the shabby trade of the denominations and religion bureaucracies, that they (with infiltrated awe for God and the beyond) again and again try to stir up and bedevil naiv humans: Epicurus (341 - 270 BC) wanted to cut those puppet works. In the today's fundamentalist meets ("in the sky", the Taliban suicide assassins are instructed (swindled), "you will get seven virgins for reward") religious stir-up-neighborhoods and other morasses know how to produce foolish terrorists. The scholars barely can be waiting to enter the promised life after death. "The Clash Of The Civilizations" (Samuel P. Huntington) since September 11 made a worse climax, 2300 years after Epicurus - and this completely uninfluenced by any realizations of Greek philosophy. One could generally doubt, if philosophy is able at all, to clear up brains. Fortunately in parts of Western cultures and counter-cultures however fragments of Epicureanism, Skepticism and Stoicism are still living on. Epicurus (with honorable persistence) tried to weaken the fear of Gods and their punishment-actions and the awe concerning the certain coming death (all animals fate) - and on the other hand he recommended to keep a distance to the political scene (which too often is involved into corruption or riot, filled with hollow slogans or hate-sermons). He prefered not to work on public places but only in his lovely garden, talking to a handful of well-known friends. This conception requires to proof not only the habits of a sensible life-style but more deeper the patterns of personal identity and the consciousness of using time. "A free live is not able to acquire much money , because this is not easy to get without being serviceable to the rich or the mediocre people ..." Epicurus wrote - and he is not frightened at the opulence deficit. "The voice of our bodies: do not be hungry, thirsty, cold!" Indeed, some non-European, i.e. African nations are demonstrating persistently to the rest of the world, how to overcome with low costs - without loosing dignity. Today, an Epicurean is thought of as a exhausted wine-sipping decadent, practicing unalloyed hedonism and wild orgies, sex and drugs and rock and roll. This is completely wrong. Pleasure is defined by Epicurus as the avoidance of pain and passion, of mania and addiction, is defined as a stabilization of emotions. Epicurus preached as a goal of our mortal life to minimize our excitements and anxieties, dependencies and crazes. Not an everlasting carnival was intended, but calmness as a lifestyle. Of course not a cramped indigence and having of no wants combined with self-punishment and nunful, self-indebted hate-the-own-body-attitude. Few philosophers have been more maligned and underappreciated. Epicurus still delivers important annotations. A last one: "You must comprehend the fact, that a long and a short statement are able to reach the same aim." I hope so.

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If you like Keith or humorous stuff, you'll LOVE this
excellence .
Epicuriouser and curiouser
Intelligent Comedy
Epicurus is an absolute pleasure

Epicurus: The Sage
William Messner-Loebs , and Sam Keith
Manufacturer: Wildstorm
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Customer Reviews:

If you like Keith or humorous stuff, you'll LOVE this.......2007-05-20

If you learned history of Greek phylosophy or live somewhere in south Europe, there is great possibility that you will love this one. It is a farce of historical and myth based stories. All of you who read Alan Ford, this is like His Highness Number One stories which he tells to bother others...

excellence ........2007-04-23

I found this story to be smart, funny and somewhat insightful. However, I will say that a little knowledge of the philosophers and their philosophy will augment the hilarity tenfold. For instance, Plato constantly is making references to "a cave." If you are not familiar at all with Plato, there is no way to understand that humor. There are many other funny references and critiques of the philosopher's philosophy and I would have found it rather dull if not for my academic background in ancient philosophy. Yet, if you like Sam Keith's charecture sytle of art, then this book is a must.

Epicuriouser and curiouser.......2006-06-07

OK, it's not a likely source of comedy. Epicurus, the philsopher, meets Plato. They suffer the withering gaze of Socrates, the ignominy of discovering that Persephone had actually run away with "Hades-poo," the libido of Zeus and the lividity of Hera in response, and lots more. It's a merry (and somewhat skewed) romp through the golden age of Greek philosophy and through the gilded cage in which the classical gods toy with us mere mortals. With them comes Alexander not-yet-the-Great, a hyperactive eight year old with an attitude and a sword.

This compiles a few of the original comics (and these truly are comical), from the long-ish "Visiting Hades," through "Riding the Sun," to "Helen's Boy." The artistic style develops visibly through the progression, from humorous to frankly bizarre exaggerations - watch for Hera speaking in a quasi-human cow, and brace yourself for a laughable but yuk-creepy caricature of a human female form. The stories wander agreeably through the old tales, back and forth through myth, truth, and pure silliness.

It's a good set, despite a visual style that I thought went downhill through the series. Knowing the original history and mythology will make the stories better for you - but reading these stories will also make you want to look up the originals. The renderings here include a few crude moments. Face it, though, Zeus's carrying-on with all those ill-starred lovelies isn't really what you're likely to use as a goodnight story for your tyke, not when you really think about the details. If you can put up with a little authentic indelicacy, it's good, literate fun.

//wiredweird

Intelligent Comedy.......2004-08-17

I respectfully disagree with the previous reviewer's statement that no previous knowledge of Greek history is needed. I am by no means an expert in Greek history, but I know a few things from high school, watching documentaries, visiting museums and historical stories and movies. The first two stories in this volume are based on pretty well known Greek myths but the second two are more obscure, so I couldn't get into them very much. The plot does take a while to get going but I think that is necessary because of the story's philosophical theme. Of course, its not acurate according to history, its a satire, but I don't think most of it can be proven wrong either. Its very funny and very daring because this type of thing can lose readers pretty quickly. Even though there was a lot I didn't understand, this book is still a good purchase. I'll put it on the shelf for a couple of years and come back to it by which time I'll probably have learned more about Greek history so that I can understand the subtlties (and there are a lot of them).

Epicurus is an absolute pleasure.......2000-03-21

Epicurus the Sage is a biting satire about the philosophical and historical climate of classical Athens. Although not at all historically accurate, it takes each character, including good old Socrates himself, to the extreme. No knowledge of philosophy or the mythology is required to get the most out of this book, although it certainly helps. It seems to take a while for the plot to kick and it winds up very quickly, which is a little disappointing. Still, it had my whole household rolling on the floor with laughter. In the tradition of Asterix, this is a great comic.

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The Faith of Epicurus
Benjamin Farrington
Manufacturer: Weidenfeld & N
ProductGroup: Book
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Hellenistic Philosophy of Mind (Hellenistic Culture & Society)

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Hellenistic Philosophy of Mind (Hellenistic Culture & Society)
Julia E. Annas
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Hellenistic Philosophy of Mind is an elegant survey of Stoic and Epicurean ideas about the soul--an introduction to two ancient schools whose belief in the soul's physicality offer compelling parallels to modern approaches in the philosophy of mind. Annas incorporates recent thinking on Hellenistic philosophy of mind so lucidly and authoritatively that specialists and nonspecialists alike will find her book rewarding.
In part, the Hellenistic epoch was a "scientific" period that broke with tradition in ways that have an affinity with the modern shift from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries to the present day. Hellenistic philosophy of the soul, Annas argues, is in fact a philosophy of mind, especially in the treatment of such topics as perception, thought, and action.

From Epicurus to Epictetus: Studies in Hellenistic and Roman Philosophy

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From Epicurus to Epictetus: Studies in Hellenistic and Roman Philosophy
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A.A. Long, one of the world's leading writers on ancient philosophy, presents eighteen essays on the philosophers and schools of the Hellenistic and Roman periods---Epicureans, Stoics, and Sceptics. The discussion ranges over four centuries of innovative and challenging thought in ethics and politics, psychology, epistemology, and cosmology. In iFrom Epicurus to Epictetus/i, Long's focus is on the distinctive contributions and methodologies of individual thinkers, notably Epicurus, Zeno, Pyrrho, Arcesilaus, Lucretius, Cicero, Seneca, and Epictetus. Placing their philosophy in its cultural context, and considering it in relation to the earlier ideas of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, he invites his readers to imagine themselves choosing between Stoicism and Epicureanism as philosophies of life. All but one of these pieces has been previously published in periodicals or conference volumes, but the author has revised and updated everything, and has also added postscripts to many of the essays. This is a book not only for scholars and experts but also, thanks to the author's accessible style, for everyone interested in understanding the legacy and continuing relevance of ancient thought.

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