Epicurus' Argument that Death Is Not To Be Feared

Another constructive dilemma about death.

[waterkingdavid]

Interesting and thanks for posting.
It occurred to me that it is very possible that we misunderstand what Epicurus means when he speaks of death.
I wonder if it is possible that in a Buddhist kind of way he's suggesting that thought about death or nonexistence are simply useless as we cannot know about them, rather than that there is REAL thing which is death or nonexistence which is sort of being suggested here.
Buddhism has the concept of "skillful means" which refers to certain speculations or actions being useful or useless in the pursuit of seeing how things really are.
Perhaps Epicurus had a similar approach.
Of course Buddhism (unless you're Stephen Batchelor and followers) centrally holds that physical death isn't the end of conscious activity which is quite different from Epicurus (or how he's understood).
But in this "skillful means " aspect there seems something very similar.
Go well!

[acarouselofantics]

Thanks Doc! I had never heard of a constructive dilemma argument.