Epicurus is the creator of influential Hellenistic teachings. He combined his own theory with elements of Aristippus' ethics and the teachings of Democritus about atoms and developed their ideas (although he himself had neglected his predecessors).
An Athenian by birth, he grew up on the island of Samos. From a young age he was fond of philosophy, at 32 he created his own school of philosophy, first on the island of Lesbos in the city of Metelen. From 306 BC Epicurus moves to Athens, buys a garden and establishes a school in it, which is why it is called the “Garden”, and the students and followers of Epicurus are called “philosophers from the garden”. Epicurus and his school played a prominent role in the development of philosophy. Created as a community of like-minded schools during its existence, and it existed for about 600 years, it did not know discord and disagreement. The students were loyal to their teacher, who was a model of behavior for them, and observed the principle established by them: "Do as if Epicurus was looking at you." The philosophy of Epicurus is practical and materialistic. He denied fatalism (predestination, fate), leaving man free will and the right to choose, and did not recognize the gods. "The world of Democritus, where everything is predetermined, is dreary and joyless and generally worse than hell," said Epicurus. Quotations from the “fourfold medicine”, the basis of the teachings of Epicurus:
- "Gods should not be afraid";
- "One should not be afraid of death either, because" As long as we are, death is not there, and when it is, we are no longer there "";
- "The good is easy to achieve";
“Evil is easy to bear.”
Epicurus denies the immortality of the soul, but not the soul itself. In his opinion, the soul is a special structure of atoms, subtle, but absolutely real matter permeating the material body. In his teaching, Epicurus does not set the goal of knowing the truth. His goal is to reconcile a person with life, relieve suffering and teach to accept it with joy. "The role of the philosopher is close to the role of the doctor," Epicurus believed. “This philosophy should help a person get rid of unnecessary desires that cause suffering, excruciating fears, teach them how to enjoy affordable, simple and peaceful life. Human desires are unlimited. Unfulfillment of desires causes suffering. If you limit desires, showing wisdom and prudence, then there are reasons for there will be less suffering. "
In this, the similarity of the philosophy of Epicurus with Buddhism is noticeable, with its idea of ​​the middle path (not striving for great joys, you do not get much suffering). For happiness, a person needs only the absence of physical suffering, peace of mind, warmth of friendly relations.
The inscription at the entrance to this school read; “Guest, you will be fine here. The highest good here is pleasure. ” But not bodily, sensual pleasures are meant, they, on the contrary, are condemned, since they always have to be paid for. Intellectual pleasures, peace of mind, harmony with oneself and the world, the joy of communicating with friends, and most importantly, pleasure is life itself. "Life is given in sensations, and they cannot be mistaken," Epicurus believed. The philosophy he created assigns to the mind a secondary importance after the senses. Regarding the state and society, the philosopher adhered to a neutral, detached attitude, believing that it is more correct for a person to live in solitude. He accepted women and even slaves to his school. Other philosophical schools did not practice anything like this. New was the elevation of the value of human earthly life and the justification of the bodily needs of man (these ideas were later adopted by the philosophers-humanists of the Renaissance).
In front of the entrance to the school stood a jug filled with water, and a baked tortilla as a symbol of the fact that a person really needs quite a bit. Members of the community lived modestly and without frills. They did not combine property, this could cause disagreement and distrust, as suggested by Epicurus. The philosophy of Epicurus, adapted in Rome and France, was greatly distorted. Epicureism is markedly different from the teachings of Epicurus himself and is closer in essence, rather, to hedonism.