What does it mean to live a happy life? Before modern psychology, and the trillions of self-help books you see in the aisles of Waterstones today, Epicurus devoted his life to answering that question. Epicurus’ understanding on pleasure is often misunderstood, with people interpreting it as over-indulgence. It is instead lasting, rational contentment, and serve surprisingly relevant to this day. Within the article, we will discuss The Art of Happiness Epicurus and learn about his timeless guide to a fulfilling life.
Read The Art of Happiness Epicurus.
Who Was Epicurus?
Epicurus (341-270BC) was a Greek philosopher who founded his own school of thought, Epicureanism. In Athens, he taught his students in his garden. Unlike other philosophical thinkers, Epicurus was not concerned with anything other than the individual. All his life, he wondered how we could live well. He thought that philosophy should be practical – a tool for being happy.
What Was The Art of Happiness Epicurus?
Epicurus, in his book The Art of Happiness, argues that pleasure is the highest good. Understanding what he means by pleasure is truly important – it is not over-indulgence or lust, but instead “freedom from pain in the body and trouble in the soul”.
He divided pleasure into two main types:
- Kinetic pleasures – active actions, like eating or dancing.
- Katastematic pleasures – stable pleasures, like peace of mind or living without fear.
He argued that the greatest pleasures come from tranquillity, and freedom from pain. The Art of Happiness is to achieve a balanced life, free from anxiety and perhaps more crucially unnecessary desire.
Epicurus offers a simple formula for happiness: The Four-Part Cure (Tetrapharmakos).
- Don’t fear God – The gods are not concerned with human affairs, and may not even exist.
- Don’t worry about death – When we are alive, death isn’t – and when death comes, we no longer exist.
- What is good is easy to obtain – basic pleasures, such as food, friendship or shelter are simple and easy to get.
- What is terrible is easy to endure – Most pain is short or manageable – it will pass.
How Did The Art of Happiness Epicurus Say We Should Live Our Lives?
Limit Desires
Epicurus argued that we must see the difference between necessary desires (food, water, shelter) and vain ones (wealth, power, fame). The latter can only ever leave you dissatisfied.
Friendship First
He saw friendship to be one of the best sources of happiness. Close companions made Epicurus who he was, and does for you, too.
Seek Wisdom
Philosophy, rather than an academic venture like Zeno and his paradoxes, was therapeutic to Epicurus. We should examine our lives, and free ourselves from irrational fears.
Live a Simple Life – The Art of Happiness Epicurus
He advocated for a simple life – we should get peace and contentment from appreciating having the basics, rather than chasing endless desire.
In such a fast-paced, corporate world today, you cannot help but understand Epicurus’ philosophy. We are constantly stimulated, told we need that BMW and anxiety plagues the masses. If we all lived a little more like Epicurus, a focus on inner peace, friendship and tackling our fears could truly help us live a happy life.
If you want to give it a read, and would prefer to support small bookshops in the UK rather than big corporations, take a look at The Art of Happiness Epicurus here.
