Moving Pleasure In Greek Philosophy

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Epicurus was a Greek philosopher in 341 BCE. He the founder of a Hellenistic Philosophy school in Greece called Epicureanism, his written works are very rare since most comes from his followers writing since theres not alot thats survived throughout the years. His philosophies spoke about the ultimate goal for life, his metaphysical and ethical beliefs, the different types of pleasures, and the principal things that cause anxiety. Epicurus says that the ultimate goal for life was to reach happiness by maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain overcoming fear and achieving mental calmness. The absence of bodily and mental distress as well as the satisfaction of natural and necessary desires in life are all necessary to reach this goal. Pleasures…show more content…
Two types of pleasures that Epicurus talked about were known as “moving” and “static”. The difference between the two was that “moving pleasure” is the process of satisfying a certain desire, while “static pleasure” takes place after the desire has been satisfied. When most people think of pleasure they usually think of “moving pleasure” but Epicurus said that in reality pleasure occurs after the desire has been satisfied which is “static pleasure” which he considers to be the best pleasure. In addition to “moving” and “static” pleasures there's physical and mental pains and pleasures that Epicurus began to distinguish the difference between. He explains that physical pains are in the present compared to mental pains which come from memories, dwelling on mistakes and negative feelings such as regret or the mystery of what the future can hold. Epicurus goes on to state that anxiety about the future is what destroys any happiness. (find proof) To overcome this, he says that one must have the confidence to believe that one will reach the tranquil state known as ataraxia- the perfect mental state of serene…show more content…
Though some cultures have embraced death, this concept being very much feared in today's society has become unpopular. Epicurus says there’s absolutely no need to fear death since the mind disperses once death occurs. Death is the destruction of the human bodies, it does “nothing to us” shouldn’t be viewed as a bad thing. He asks “If death is bad, for whom is it bad?” it’s not bad for people that are living because they aren’t dead and the dead doesn’t exist anymore therefore it doesn’t harm them either. Fear is based off the unknown that follows death like having a terrible afterlife. He believed it was silly to fear death because it caused pain and anxiety in their lives. Epicurus's ideas are thousands of years old yet are still very relevant. Adapting his philosophy into daily life, can be done by using what fits best and applying it from there

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