Epicurus and the Good Life

In this lecture we discuss the ethics of Epicurus, an Ancient Greek philosopher who ascribed to hedonism and claimed that pleasure is the greatest good in life.
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[satnamo]

A good life is a simple life.

Simple is beautiful.

[academyofideas]

Hey in terms your question on how I pick topics (which I mistakenly removed) I have no methodology, I just choose topics that interest me and do topics that are requested by others.

[joperez]

It's 2020 and look at that, I enjoy and learn from this video as well as I do with your current channel. What a journey! Thank you for producing all this high quality content. May your channel keep on growing!

[Bacawind]

I was mixing/merging terms of hedonism, Epicureanism, and Cyrenaic(ism?). This video has given me many keywords to use as VIP access to rabbit holes I didn't know existed. Thank you!

[armenianweirdo]

I appreciate the perceived lack of agenda in your videos. Keep it up!

[freddierenoiz]

This made me understand so much of the way I feel about certain desires and guilts.
I love the crystal-clear content of this channel.<3

[academyofideas]

Not immediately but the Stoics are definitely a topic we will devote a lecture to in the future!

[lowkeynz]

Epicurus and Buddha would have agreed on a lot by the looks of it.

[fraidoonw]

thanks, yes Epicurean philosophy is so practical that you need it even NOW in 2021.

[zerothehero]

Funny how eastern and western philosophers come to the same sort of views.

[knpstrr]

In the beginning you say 3 types of goods are virtue, happiness, pleasure. But when reading those ideas -- and not taking them at face value -- it really says virtue, virtue, virtue.

[Nbryant]

While Epicurus talked a great deal about pleasure, he was not a hedonist. He believed that the ultimate good/life goal is ataraxia, or tranquility. He only spoke of how the pursuit of your pleasures would affect your ataraxia. He seemed pretty neutral on topic of pleasure.

[vijaysahani]

In my village, elders tought me " Simple living, thinking high"
🙏🙏

[JonathanDewetfunlifegod]

You explained that really well. I liked the depth to this video as well as the others I have watched. Keep up the good work!

[WynnConsultingLLC]

I think is was a clear understanding of Hedonism, and it helped me out. 
Thanks

[alexfranco]

I would argue that the “unnatural and unnecessary desires” that were exemplified (“...the desire for power, fame, extreme wealth, social acceptance...”) could be interpreted as natural, and sometimes even necessary, desires. Especially social acceptance. It’s rooted into our brains by our ancestors. Early humans were more likely to survive as a community. Those that got outcasted by their community most often died and did not reproduce. Thus, for primal reasons, we’ve had a desire for social acceptance of some kind because it helps insure our survival.

[Selene]

Thank you for this.
This made it clear for me that I'm defo not an Epicurean, even though I do agree to an extend with some of his points.

[fraidoonw]

thanks for this wonderful video! epicurus remains a great wise man!

[homer]

Live a minimalist life, a life of contemplation. Too many desires and wants gets you in trouble.

[nakulrode]

material pleasure is shallow and it pushes us away from our soul. as we get trapped in the worldly things, we get far far away from the soul. the actual us! because these materials pleasures are mortal and short termed.