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Epicurus(/ˌɛpɪˈkjʊərəs/, EH-pih-KURE-əs;[2]Greek: ἘπίκουροςEpikouros; 341–270 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopherand sagewho founded Epicureanism, a highly influential school of philosophy. He was born on the Greekisland of Samosto Athenianparents. Influenced by Democritus, Aristippus, Pyrrho,[3]and possibly the Cynics, he ...
Roman Epicurusbust. Epicureanismis a system of philosophyfounded around 307 BCEbased upon the teachings of Epicurus, an ancient Greek philosopher. Epicurus was an atomistand materialist, following in the steps of Democritus. His materialism led him to religious skepticismand a general attack on superstition and divine intervention.
Epicurus identified eudaimonia with the life of pleasure. Epicurus' ethical theory is hedonistic. His views were very influential for the founders and best proponents of utilitarianism, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Hedonism is the view that pleasure is the only intrinsic good and that pain is the only intrinsic bad.
The followers of Epicurus also identified "the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain" as the ultimate goal of life, but noted that "We do not mean the pleasures of the prodigal or of sensuality . . . we mean the absence of pain in the body and trouble in the mind". [28] This brought hedonism back to the search for ataraxia. [29]
v. t. e. In ethical philosophy, utilitarianism is a family of normative ethical theories that prescribe actions that maximize happiness and well-being for the affected individuals. [ 1 ][ 2 ] In other words, utilitarian ideas encourage actions that ensure the greatest good for the greatest number. Although different varieties of utilitarianism ...
Responses to the problem of evil have traditionally been in three types: refutations, defenses, and theodicies. The problem of evil is generally formulated in two forms: the logical problem of evil and the evidential problem of evil. The logical form of the argument tries to show a logical impossibility in the coexistence of a god and evil, [ 2 ...
Utilitarianism was revised and expanded by Bentham's student John Stuart Mill, who sharply criticised Bentham's view of human nature, which failed to recognise conscience as a human motive. Mill considered Bentham's view "to have done and to be doing very serious evil."
Epicurus was not an atheist, although he rejected the idea of a god concerned with human affairs; followers of Epicureanism denied the idea that there was no god. While the conception of a supreme, happy and blessed god was the most popular during his time, Epicurus rejected such a notion, as he considered it too heavy a burden for a god to have to worry about all the problems in the world.