Many people believe that leading an Epicurean lifestyle means living the life of pleasure, indulging in a hedonistic dolce vita. However, that’s not exactly what the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus had in mind. Quite the opposite. In this blog post, we’ll show you what it means to lead an Epicurean style of life and how it can help you achieve happiness and tranquility.
Epicurean: Meaning and Definition
Based on the teachings of the Greek philosopher Epicurus, who lived between 341 BC and 270 BC, Epicurean philosophy focuses on pleasure as the main goal of life. Back then, pleasure was seen primarily as avoiding suffering and pain. Despite popular belief, Epicurus was more focused on the pleasures of the mind and not the body. He was against artificially produced desires that were meant to be suppressed if we want to achieve happiness. Although he saw sex as natural, Epicurus also advocated against passionate love and marriage. Instead of overindulging, the philosopher found joy in moderate living. According to him, in order to achieve happiness we must first and foremost limit our desires.
