Lucretius Today - Epicurus and Epicurean Philosophy

Episode 307 - How The Wise Epicurean Is Always Happy

Episode 307 - TD35 - How The Wise Epicurean Is Always Happy Welcome to Episode 307 of Lucretius Today. This is a podcast dedicated to the poet Lucretius, who wrote "On The Nature of Things," the most complete presentation of Epicurean philosophy left to us from the ancient world. Each week we walk you through the Epicurean texts, and we discuss how Epicurean philosophy can apply to you today. If you find the Epicurean worldview attractive, we invite you to join us in the study of Epicurus at EpicureanFriends.com, where we discuss this and all of our podcast episodes.      This week we continue covering Cicero's "Tusculan Disputations" from an Epicurean perspective. Today we continue our discussion with the second half of  [section 9 of Part 5](https://handbook.epicureanfriends.com/Library/Text-Cicero-TusculanDisputations/#ix_3) where Cicero criticizes Metrodorus and Epicurus for allegedly making high-sounding statements by being inconsistent for involving pleasure and pain in them. As Joshua said last week, Cicero is criticizing Aristotle and Theophrastus for admittedly being consistent but at the same time being ignoble, while he allows that Epicurus and Metrodorus sound noble but at the same time being inconsistent for involving pleasure and pain in their formulations.  Cicero would prefer both consistency and noble langue, and he finds that in the Stoics.    Epicurus would respond that there is nothing ignoble about pleasure and pain, as they are the guidance that Nature herself provides. Further, Epicurus is being consistent when he realistically assesses that human happiness best defined as a life in which we always have more pleasure than pain ("more reason for joy than for vexation") not an idealistic state of pure virtue from which all evil is absent. https://www.epicureanfriends.com/thread/4796-episode-307-td35-how-the-wise-epicurean-is-always-happy/

Episode 306 - Is A Life That Is 99 Percent Happy Really Happy?

Issued Discussed in This podcast include: 1. Is Perfect The Enemy Of The Good? 2. 2. Does Fortune Or Wisdom Rule The life Of Man?   3. 3. Is It Better To Be Lucky Or Smart? Welcome to Episode 306 of Lucretius Today. This is a podcast dedicated to the poet Lucretius, who wrote "On The Nature of Things," the most complete presentation of Epicurean philosophy left to us from the ancient world. Each week we walk you through the Epicurean texts, and we discuss how Epicurean philosophy can apply to you today. If you find the Epicurean worldview attractive, we invite you to join us in the study of Epicurus at EpicureanFriends.com, where we discuss this and all of our podcast episodes.      This week we continue covering Cicero's "Tusculan Disputations" from an Epicurean perspective. Today we continue our discussion with [section 9 of Part 5](https://handbook.epicureanfriends.com/Library/Text-Cicero-TusculanDisputations/#ix_3) as to virtue alone allegedly being sufficient for happiness.

Episode 305 - Shall We Stoically Be A Spectator To Life And Content Ourselves With "Virtue"?

Shall We Stoically Be A Spectator To Life And Content Ourselves With "Virtue?" Welcome to Episode 305 of Lucretius Today. This is a podcast dedicated to the poet Lucretius, who wrote "On The Nature of Things," the most complete presentation of Epicurean philosophy left to us from the ancient world. Each week we walk you through the Epicurean texts, and we discuss how Epicurean philosophy can apply to you today. If you find the Epicurean worldview attractive, we invite you to join us in the study of Epicurus at EpicureanFriends.com, where we discuss this and all of our podcast episodes.  This week we continue covering Cicero's "Tusculan Disputations" from an Epicurean perspective. Today we begin our discussion of Part 5 and examine whether virtue alone is sufficient for happiness.  https://www.epicureanfriends.com/thread/4779-episode-305-shall-we-stoically-be-a-spectator-to-life-and-content-ourselves-with/

Episode 304 - Epicurus vs The Stoics On Strong Emotions

Welcome to Episode 304 of Lucretius Today. This is a podcast dedicated to the poet Lucretius, who wrote "On The Nature of Things," the most complete presentation of Epicurean philosophy left to us from the ancient world. Each week we walk you through the Epicurean texts, and we discuss how Epicurean philosophy can apply to you today. If you find the Epicurean worldview attractive, we invite you to join us in the s\tudy of Epicurus at EpicureanFriends.com, where we discuss this and all of our podcast episodes.  This week we continue covering Cicero's "Tusculan Disputations" from an Epicurean perspective. Today we wrap up our discussion of Part 3 with Section XXI and push forward into Part 4, after which we will devote our final episodes devoted to Tusculan Disputations by examining Part 5 on whether virtue alone is sufficient for happiness.   https://www.epicureanfriends.com/thread/4769-episode-304-td32-epicurus-vs-the-stoics-on-strong-emotions/?postID=37494#post37494

Episode 303 - Is It Truly Impossible To Advocate For Epicurus In The Public Sphere?

Welcome to Episode 303 of Lucretius Today. This is a podcast dedicated to the poet Lucretius, who wrote "On The Nature of Things," the most complete presentation of Epicurean philosophy left to us from the ancient world. Each week we walk you through the Epicurean texts, and we discuss how Epicurean philosophy can apply to you today. If you find the Epicurean worldview attractive, we invite you to join us in the study of Epicurus at EpicureanFriends.com, where we discuss this and all of our podcast episodes. This week we continue covering Cicero's "Tusculan Disputations" from an Epicurean perspective and we move into Section XXI [https://handbook.epicureanfriends.com/Library/Text-Cicero-TusculanDisputations/#iii-xx] to address a particularly important challenge from Cicero:How do we advocate the Epicurean position in public gatherings? Quote But these men behave with too much heat, especially as the opinions which they would uphold are no very spirited ones, and such as they dare not plead for either in the senate, or before the assembly of the people, or before the army, or the censors: but, however, I will argue with them another time, and with such a disposition that no quarrel shall arise between us; for I shall be ready to yield to their opinions when founded on truth. Only I must give them this advice: That were it ever so true, that a wise man regards nothing but the body; or, to express myself with more decency, never does anything except what is expedient, and views all things with exclusive reference to his own advantage; as such things are not very commendable, they should confine them to their own breasts, and leave off talking with that parade of them. https://www.epicureanfriends.com/thread/4753-episode-303-is-it-truly-impossible-to-advocate-for-epicurus-in-the-public-sphere/?postID=37427#post37427