Epicureanism - A Week in the Pursuit of Pleasure

March 30 - April 5

"Pleasure is the beginning and the goal of a happy life" Epicurus as cited by Botton in The Consolations of Philosophy, p.50

Epicureans believe that:

• the pursuit of happiness is the purpose of life
• there is a hierarchy of humans needs; in order to be happy we must first address our primal needs for shelter, food and warmth
• happiness is acquired through:
• the possession of friendship;
• the experience of sensual pleasures;
• the avoidance/cessation of pain;
• ataraxy: freedom from anxieties and the fear of death.
• there is no life after death

Alain de Botton, author of The Consolations of Philosophy, has been accused of grossly oversimplifying philosophical concepts. This has worked in our favour and we will be basing our rules this week predominantly on his sifted version of Epicureanism...

1. Friendship

"Of all the things that wisdom provides to help live one's entire life in happiness, the greatest by far is the possession of friendship" Epicurus as cited by Botton in The Consolations of Philosophy, p.57

• Rule: dedicate time every day to maintaining friendships

"Before you eat or drink anything, consider carefully who you eat or drink with rather than what you eat or drink: for feeding without a friend is the life of a lion or a wolf" Epicurus as cited by Botton in The Consolations of Philosophy, p.57

• Rule: always eat in company

2. Meeting basic needs

"... happiness (eudaimonia), according to Epicurus, is ... a form of pleasure in its own right - ... kinetic pleasures involve ... the pleasurable elimination of hunger or thirst. As the need is met, however, the pleasure associated with replenishment diminishes: one does not enjoy eating for replenishment when full." Epicurus; Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

• Rule: always eat when hungry and only then; enjoy the moment; choose quality over quantity

3. Living an analysed life

"Mankind is perpetually the victim of a pointless and futile martyrdom, fretting life away in fruitless worries through failure to realise what limit is set to acquisition and to the growth of genuine pleasure" Epicurus as cited by Botton in The Consolations of Philosophy, p.70 

• Rule: at the end of each day write down your anxieties. Reflect on their impact on your pursuit of happiness. Are they baseless? What can you do to eliminate them?