How to be an epicurean : the ancient art of living well

Title:

Author:

Wilson, Catherine, 1951- author.

ISBN:

9781541672635

Personal Author:

Wilson, Catherine, 1951- author.

Uniform Title:

Pleasure principle

Edition:

First US edition.

Physical Description:

293 pages ; 25 cm

BISAC Subject:

Philosophy

Subject Term:

Epicureans (Greek philosophy).

Available:*

Format	Library	Call Number	Status
Book	Searching... South Regional Library	187 Wil	Searching... Unknown

A leading philosopher shows that if the pursuit of happiness is the question, Epicureanism is the answer
Epicureanism has a reputation problem, bringing to mind gluttons with gout or an admonition to eat, drink, and be merry. In How to Be an Epicurean , philosopher Catherine Wilson shows that Epicureanism isn't an excuse for having a good time: it's a means to live a good life. Although modern conveniences and scientific progress have significantly improved our quality of life, many of the problems faced by ancient Greeks -- love, money, family, politics -- remain with us in new forms. To overcome these obstacles, the Epicureans adopted a philosophy that promoted reason, respect for the natural world, and reverence for our fellow humans. By applying this ancient wisdom to a range of modern problems, from self-care routines and romantic entanglements to issues of public policy and social justice, Wilson shows us how we can all fill our lives with purpose and pleasure.

Author Notes

Catherine Wilson received her PhD in philosophy from Princeton University and has taught at universities in the US, Canada, and Europe. She has published more than 100 research papers and eight books, including A Very Short Introduction to Epicureanism and Metaethics from a First-Person Standpoint . She has two children and lives in New York City, where she is currently visiting presidential professor of philosophy at the Graduate Center at CUNY.

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

In this excellent debut, Wilson, a philosopher and visiting professor at CUNY Graduate Center, debunks claims about Epicureanism's hedonistic nature, arguing instead that the ancient Greek philosophy offers an effective structure for living a fulfilled life. Mining the few remaining writings of Epicurus from the third century BCE, as well as the work of his first-century BCE follower Lucretius, Wilson explains how Epicureanism is an inherently optimistic, positive philosophy that encourages adherents to think in terms of living well as an individual and as part of society. Starting from the basics, Wilson describes the Epicurean vision of creation (all things are made up of either "bodies" or "void"), considers the values of pleasure and pain, expounds on the nature of love, and explains why death shouldn't be feared--at least not by Epicureans. With prudence, reason, and free choice forming the basis of the philosophy, Wilson argues that Epicureanism is, in fact, surprisingly modern. In a final section--titled "Should I Be a Stoic Instead?"--Wilson compares Epicureanism to other early Greek philosophies, differentiating Epicureanism by stressing its basis positivism. General readers interested in how the ancient Greeks viewed the good life will take great pleasure in Wilson's entertaining guide to Epicureanism for modern times. (Sept.)

Kirkus Review

How an ancient art of living well is no less applicableand broadly beneficialtoday.Wilson (Epicureanism: A Very Short Introduction, 2016, etc.), British-born visiting professor of philosophy at the CUNY Graduate Center, explores the ideas of Greek philosopher Epicurus, whose writings have come to us largely through the verse of his Roman follower Lucretius. A fundamentally optimistic philosophy, one of the five major schools of thought of the ancient Greek and Roman world, Epicureanism concerns living well and justly, and it was unique for the time in opening its doors to women. But as Wilson shows, the emphasis on pleasure is largely misunderstood. Far from the hedonism with which Epicurus' philosophy is mistakenly associated, and which diminishes a far more comprehensive body of thought, it is his concept of a life of virtue and inquiry that serves as a foundation. After explaining how Epicurus viewed the world, the author applies her concept of the modern Epicurean philosopher to suggest the most constructive approaches to bring to complex sociopolitical problems of our day. Both her assessments of the issues and arguments against contemporary foolhardiness are, in the main, unassailable. However, there is also a large helping of wishful thinking concerning remedies and a decidedly left-leaning scaffolding. Such analyses harbor both strengths and weaknesses. Some statements are much too sweeping, and some assertions are surprisingly oversimplified. Wilson contrasts Epicurean philosophy with its traditional rival, Stoicism, and finds areas of accord as well as divergence. But she contends that ethical and political values are grounded in particular ways of seeing the world, and Epicureanism seems at once to be the most appealing and (ultimately) responsible of precepts. She is a proponent of Epicureanism but not to the extent of ignoring its shortcomings and seeming contradictions.Wilson's writing style varies from lively and lucid to pedestrian, but her intelligence and command of her subject are compelling. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

Epicurean philosophy has a long and distinguished history. Born in 341 BC Greece, Epicurus both built on and rebelled against forebears such as Aristotle and Plato. He posited a world of indivisible, irreducible particles, and espoused a rational approach to life that repudiated supernatural influence. Later centuries saw him as a voluptuary in pursuit of pleasure only. Wilson strips away such misconceptions and guides readers through what can seem a very contemporary philosophy valuing rational thought, physical evidence, non-self-interested justice, and human free will. She makes it plain how these ideas inhere in American political thought from the nation's founding. But her emphasis is less on politics and history than on an individual's quest to find a good, constructive, and satisfying personal approach to living. Wilson particularly shows how Epicureanism has always posited full equality between women and men. Science, social justice, and religion are also examined from an Epicurean point of view. Although demanding, intense reading, this is a valuable introduction to a very influential philosophy.--Mark Knoblauch Copyright 2010 Booklist

Preface	p. 1
Part I How the Epicurean Sees the World
1 Back to Basics	p. 17
The Epicurean Atom
Atomism: Three Consequences
2 How Did We Get Here?	p. 29
The Epicurean Theory of Natural Selection
Darwin's Upgrade: How Selection Causes Evolution
3 The Material Mind	p. 43
The Mystery of Consciousness
The Evolution of Consciousness
4 The Story of Humanity	p. 55
The State of Nature and the Rise of Civilisation
Authority and Inequality
The Lessons of the Past
Part II Living Well and Living Justly
5 Ethics and the Care of the Self	p. 71
Pleasure and Pain
Prudence and its Limits
Hedonism and its Problems
Don't Suffer in Silence!
The Pleasure Merchants
6 Morality and Other People	p. 95
Morality vs Prudence
Moral Truth and Moral Progress
Why Be Moral?
What's Different About Epicurean Morality?
7 Beware of Love!	p. 109
The Epicurean Exception
The Pains and Pleasures of Love
Sexual Morality: Minimising Harm to Others
Using Your Head
8 Thinking About Death	p. 123
The Epicurean View of Death
Death at the Right and Wrong Times
Abortion vs Infanticide
Suicide vs Euthanasia
Resisting and Accepting Mortality
Don't Count on the Afterlife
Part III Seeking Knowledge and Avoiding Error
9 What Is Real?	p. 149
Nature and Convention
Things in Between
Human Rights: Natural or Conventional?
The Imaginary: Unthings
The Reality of the Past
10 What Can We Know?	p. 169
The Importance of First-Person Experience
Resolving Disagreement
Is Empiricism True?
Part IV The Self in a Complex World
11 Science and Scepticism	p. 187
Scientific Explanation
Can We Trust the Scientists?
Living with Uncertainty
12 Social Justice for an Epicurean World	p. 205
Three Epicurean Philosophers on War, Inequality and Work
Epicurean Political Principles
Justice for Women: Nature, History and Convention
13 Religion From an Epicurean Perspective	p. 225
Belief in the Imaginary
Piety Without Superstition
Can Religion Be Immoral?
Can a Religious Person Be an Epicurean?
14 The Meaningful Life	p. 243
Two Conceptions of the Meaningful Life
Meaningfulness for the Individual
The Problem of Affluence
The Philosophical Perspective
15 Should I Be a Stoic Instead?	p. 261
The Stoic System
Too Much Fortitude?
Wrapping Up
Bibliography and Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 273
Acknowledgements	p. 295

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