The Philosophy of Epicurus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Philosophy of Epicurus - Essay ExampleThe essay The Philosophy of Epicurus discusses the Epicuruss thoughts regarding the capability of everyone for seeking wisdom, the happiness to be the supreme objective of museing philosophy and c one timerning religion.At the beginning of the first paragraph of his Letter to Menoeceus, Epicurus says that everyone either young or old should study philosophy because it is never too early nor too new-fangled to care for the well-being of the soul. According to him, philosophy can bring happiness to the soul. One should study it for the happiness of mind. Again Epicurus says that the young people can retain the happiness of youth in his dulcet memories of the past when the old can enjoy the fearlessness of the youth even in their old mount up although he is old he whitethorn at the same time be young by virtue of his fearlessness of the future. Again at the end of the paragraph, he comments that the ultimate objective of studying philosop hy is securing happiness, and therefore we do everything in order to gain it. We can infer that Epicurus believed that happiness is the ultimate objective of studying philosophy.According to Epicurus, our common sense or customary opinion tells us that gods mustiness be deathless and blessed. Indeed this common sense is existences capability of reasoning or proving something by something by logic. The commonality of mans perception of himself or others lies at the heart of these reasons or common sense.... Thus we can infer that Epicurus believed that happiness is the ultimate objective of studying philosophy. The Gods 3. Epicurus supposes that we contend the gods to be immortal and blessed. Why does he suppose this? According to Epicurus, our common sense or popular opinion tells us that gods must be immortal and blessed. Indeed this common sense is mans capability of reasoning or proving something by something by logic. In the first place, we must accept that mans capability of reasoning or devising logic is very subjective. That is, the commonality of mans perception about himself or others lies at the heart of these reasons or common sense. Man commonly perceives himself as a subject to ephemera and to stopping point while we exist death is not present and when death is present we no longstanding exist (Epicurus). Man reasons that gods exist even while we no longer exist. But since people popularly believe that gods send blessings and evils to men (though Epicurus assumes these popular beliefs, about gods to fetch concerns for men, as something wrong) ages after ages, man reasons that they must be immortal and blessed otherwise, they would not be adequate to do so. Thus Epicurus supposes that commonsense provokes men to popularly accept that the gods are immortal and blessed. Again once Epicurus says that Most men do not retain the picture of the gods that they first receive (Epicurus 2). This sentence may refer to Epicuruss belief that mans know ledge about gods is inwrought. This innate or inborn idea about gods immortality and blessedness provokes everyone to form a popular opinion that gods must be immortal and blessed. 4. Epicurus infers from the fact that the gods are the immortal and