"Praise from others must follow of its own accord; our object should be our own healing."
- Epicurus
Thursday, June 4, 2009
How justice operates without help from the gods
"There is no such thing as 'justice in itself'; it is, rather, always a certain compact made during men's dealings with one another in different places, not to do harm or to be harmed."
"It is impossible for one who commits some act in secret violation of the compacts made among men not to do harm or to be harmed, to remain confident that he will escape notice, even if for the present he escapes detection a thousand times. For right up to the day of his death, it remains unclear whether he will escape detection."
- Epicurus
"It is impossible for one who commits some act in secret violation of the compacts made among men not to do harm or to be harmed, to remain confident that he will escape notice, even if for the present he escapes detection a thousand times. For right up to the day of his death, it remains unclear whether he will escape detection."
- Epicurus
Kahneman, Epicurus, Happiness
1. Commuting, promotions and happiness: Epicurus warns us not to pursue unnecessary things like wealth and status, because the desire for these things is never satisfied and they lead to more pain than pleasure. Kahneman warns simply against pursuing a promotion that means more time in the office away from family and friends, or a longer commute that lengthens the worst part of your day.
"Many men who acquire wealth do not find deliverance from evils but an exchange of their present evils for greater ones." - Epicurus
Tacitus finds this view in Stoic thought as well:
"Many men who acquire wealth do not find deliverance from evils but an exchange of their present evils for greater ones." - Epicurus
Tacitus finds this view in Stoic thought as well:
With regard to practical matters they maintain that popular ideas of good and bad are wrong: many people who appear to be in dire circumstances are actually happy provided they deal with their situation bravely; others, regardless of how many possessions they have, are miserable, because they do not know how to use the gifts of fortune wisely.2. Friends: For Epicurus, friendship is the key to happiness. Kahneman simply observes that people report being happiest when they are socializing with friends.
Friendship
"Of all the things that wisdom provides for living one's entire life in happiness, the greatest by far is the possession of friendship."
"The same knowledge that makes one confident that nothing dreadful is eternal or long-lasting, also recognizes in the face of these limited evils the security afforded by friendship."
Note that friendship is an outgrowth of virtue. It is the virtue of wisdom that provides for the possession of friendship. Is that because without virtue we would not attract friends, or not know how to act in order to keep them, or would fail to prize them highly enough to maintain the friendship?
- Epicurus
"The same knowledge that makes one confident that nothing dreadful is eternal or long-lasting, also recognizes in the face of these limited evils the security afforded by friendship."
Note that friendship is an outgrowth of virtue. It is the virtue of wisdom that provides for the possession of friendship. Is that because without virtue we would not attract friends, or not know how to act in order to keep them, or would fail to prize them highly enough to maintain the friendship?
- Epicurus
Don't fool yourself into pursuing unnecesary things that bring great hassles...
"He who understands the limits of life knows how easy it is to remove the pain that results from want and to make one's whole life complete. As a result, he does not need actions that bring strife in their wake."
- Epicurus
You'll never satisfy these desires anyway.
"Nothing is sufficient for the man to whom the sufficient is too little."
- Epicurus
- Epicurus
You'll never satisfy these desires anyway.
"Nothing is sufficient for the man to whom the sufficient is too little."
- Epicurus
Securing safety from others...
For Sartre, "hell is other people."
Epicurus prizes friendship, but is keenly aware of the need to protect oneself from pretty much everyone else.
A number of entries in the Principal Doctrines refer to this:
"Whatever you can provide yourself with to secure protection from men is a natural good."
"Some men wished to become esteemed and admired by everyone, thinking that in this way they would procure for themselves safety from others."
"The most perfect means for securing safety from men, which arises, to some extent, from a certain power to expel, is the assurance that comes from quietude and withdrawal from the world."
- Epicurus
Epicurus prizes friendship, but is keenly aware of the need to protect oneself from pretty much everyone else.
A number of entries in the Principal Doctrines refer to this:
"Whatever you can provide yourself with to secure protection from men is a natural good."
"Some men wished to become esteemed and admired by everyone, thinking that in this way they would procure for themselves safety from others."
"The most perfect means for securing safety from men, which arises, to some extent, from a certain power to expel, is the assurance that comes from quietude and withdrawal from the world."
- Epicurus
Epicurus and evil
"No pleasure is evil in itself; but the means of obtaining some pleasures bring in their wake troubles many times greater than the pleasures."
"...suffering from pain or grief, which are evil."
- Epicurus
Epicurus appears to use the term "evil" lightly, synonymous with internal distress and also with "troubles" or perhaps "great troubles." These troubles appear to be external troubles, the disquieting hassles one brings into one's life by pursuing unnecessary things. This is contra the Stoics, who were very clear on this matter: nothing external is evil, or good. Good and evil exist exclusively in your heart, in the internals. "Evil" is your decision to do "evil," a product of your free will that runs contrary to the natural virtues.
"...suffering from pain or grief, which are evil."
- Epicurus
Epicurus appears to use the term "evil" lightly, synonymous with internal distress and also with "troubles" or perhaps "great troubles." These troubles appear to be external troubles, the disquieting hassles one brings into one's life by pursuing unnecessary things. This is contra the Stoics, who were very clear on this matter: nothing external is evil, or good. Good and evil exist exclusively in your heart, in the internals. "Evil" is your decision to do "evil," a product of your free will that runs contrary to the natural virtues.
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