Epicurean ethics

Resumo: O presente trabalho analisa a sociedade de consumo sob a perspectiva do seriado televisivo de 1964, A Feiticeira, marco de um projeto político, social e econômico de vida, disseminado pelos Estados Unidos da América por meio de políticas de financiamento e culturais, de uma sociedade de consumidores compulsivos. Sob a ótica de Bauman será caracterizada essa sociedade que desagua em pessoas individualistas, degradadoras, sem um pensamento ambiental e sustentável. Com Beck demonstrar-se-á e as consequências advindas do modelo de consumo histórico e ainda presente na sociedade atual. Como resposta ao problema da sociedade de excessos e consumismo, o artigo retoma a filosofia ética epicurista e da alteridade para dirimir os efeitos trazidos por essa sociedade individualista evidenciado no sitcom e trazer uma ética social crítica ao modelo de consumo persistente. Utiliza-se a metodologia teórica-filosófica e o raciocínio dedutivo, por meio de pesquisas bibliográfica e documental. Conclui-se, pela possibilidade de um pensar ético epicurista e com alteridade no auxílio do pensar ambiental sustentável. Abstract The present work analyzes the consumer society from the perspective of the television series of 1964, Bewitched, the landmark of a political, social and economic life project, disseminated by the United States of America through financing and cultural policies, a society of compulsive consumers. From Bauman's point of view, this society will be characterized that empties into individualistic, degrading individuals without environmental and sustainable thinking. With Beck will be demonstrated and the consequences arising from the model of historical consumption and still present in today's society. In response to the problem of a society of excesses and consumerism, the article resumes Epicurean ethics and alterity philosophy to resolve the effects brought by this individualist society evidenced in the sitcom and bring a critical social ethic to the model of persistent consumption. Theoretical-philosophical methodology and deductive reasoning are used, through bibliographical and documentary research. It concludes by the possibility of an Epicurean ethical thinking and with alterity in the aid of sustainable environmental thinking. Introdução O presente trabalho explora o modelo de consumo e a sociedade do consumismo a partir da história, trazendo o desenvolvimento desse modelo a partir do seriado A Feiticeira, de 1964, que conta a história de uma bruxa e um publicitário, que se conhecem e se casam. Contudo, há uma investida por parte do marido em substituir o uso da feitiçaria da espoa pela

An essay looking phenomenologically at the notion of ataraxia in Epicurean ethics. The core point of discussion focuses on the notion of pleasure qua ataraxia as a two-fold phenomenon, and what this implies for Epicurean ethics.
- This paper was written as research practice during my Honours Year (2018).

ART OF LIVING: Pierre Hadot and Michel Foucault promoted the idea that ancient philosophy is essentially an art of living. In particular, this thesis is usually applied to the big philosophical schools deriving from the Hellenistic period. Epicurus, most notably, is often read as a philosopher who only aims at the improvement of one's individual life.
In this article I articulate my doubts about this one-sided reading of ancient philosophy in general and Epicurus in particular.

„Lebenskunst und Naturforschung bei Epikur”, in: Gerhard Ernst (Hg.), Philosophie als Lebenskunst, Berlin: Suhrkamp 2016, 33-65.

In un poema tormentato come il De rerum natura, la cui angoscia sottesa ma palpabile, a dispetto dell'asserito ottimismo epicureo, ha fatto così a lungo discutere e spesso ha condotto a conclusioni estreme e inesatte, non è molto lo spazio lasciato all'espressione della serenità. Questa dimensione spirituale, che pure è alla base, come mèta imprescindibile, della speculazione filosofica di Epicuro e dell'interesse del suo seguace romano, appare a conti fatti assai meno presente nel poema lucreziano rispetto a tematiche più negative (si pensi, solo per fare l'esempio più vistoso, allo spazio dedicato al tema della morte, sia pure per dissolverne la paura, o al rilievo che assume nel finale l'allucinata descrizione della peste). Proprio per questo atteggiamento del poeta può forse rivelarsi utile tentare un'indagine sulla terminologia della serenità presente nell'opera, sulla sua distribuzione e sui suoi significati fondamentali. E' la lingua, infatti, la spia naturale (e talora involontaria) di sensazioni profonde e convinzioni radicate di un autore. Ciò servirà forse a comprendere meglio l'idea lucreziana della serenità e il ruolo che il poeta le assegnava nella sua visione del mondo.

In chapter XXV of the Prince, Machiavelli deals thoroughly with the concept of Fortune. We are at the end of the discussion about the qualities that a prince should possess in order to acquire a state and to be able to keep it. At this point Machiavelli analyzes a concept that can be considered as complementary to these abilities: if a prince can use his virtù to deal with understandable events and with people, there is still a part of human life that escapes the possibility of control and foreseeing.

Μία λέξη η οποία χαρακτηρίζει τον αρχαίο ΄Ελληνα φιλόσ οφο Επίκουρο είναι σ ίγουρα η λέξη "παρεξηγημένος". Πολλοί πολέμιοι του ίδιου του Επίκουρου και της φιλοσ οφίας του τον έχουν χαρακτηρίσ ει ως "άθεο" και "χυδαίο ηδονισ τή". ΄ Αλλοι πάλι, κινούμενοι προς την αντίθετη πορεία, τον λάτρεψαν ως θεό και ήταν φανατικοί οπαδοί της διδασ καλίας του. Σίγουρα και οι δύο πλευρές είναι, αν μη τί άλλο, υπερβολικές. Ο Επίκουρος ήταν άθεος, αλλά με έναν ιδιαίτερο τρόπο. Αναγνώριζε την ύπαρξη των θεών (ή του θεού), τους έδινε ωσ τόσ ο υλική υπόσ τασ η. Πίσ τευε ότι οι θεοί δεν ενδιαφέρονται για τις υποθέσ εις των ανθρώπων, διότι αυτό δεν θα ταίριαζε με την θεϊκή φύσ η τους. Οι θεοί για τον Επίκουρο ζούσ αν μακάριοι, ευτυχισ μένοι και χωρίς καμία έγνοια, και το να ασ χολούνται με τις ανθρώπινες υποθέσ εις θα ακύρωνε αυτή τους την μακαριότητα.

Una de las razones fundamentales por las cuales la muerte causa dolor se debe a una comprensión equívoca acerca del sentido último de la vida humana. Además, la Modernidad se desliga, en ocasiones, de la dimensión emotiva y afectiva del ser humano. Así pues, toda terapéutica del duelo mortuorio exige reflexionar con seriedad acerca del sentido de la muerte, tarea en la cual la tradición filosófica y teológica occidental es un apoyo ineludible. En la primera parte se ha de revisar, desde la perspectiva filosófica de Epicuro, la concepción de la muerte según la cual la opinión ordinaria es errada y no da cabida a una vida realizada como fundamento de la tranquilidad y la salud. En la segunda parte se esbozarán los rasgos y las notas esenciales de una concepción cristiana de la muerte a partir de la obra de San Agustín de Hipona, exponiendo algunas medidas concretas de preparación para la muerte con base en su pensamiento.

Comparisons of Montaigne’s Essays and Shakespeare’s Hamlet tend to focus on Montaigne’s skepticism, as laid out in his longest and best-known essay, “An Apology for Raymond Sebond.” Hamlet’s doubts resemble Montaigne’s, and critics have suggested that his notorious indecisiveness may be modeled on Montaigne's own more philosophical suspense of judgment. Less well-explored, however, is the influence of Montaigne’s Epicureanism, apparent in his embrace of the Epicurean principle, “lathe biōsas” (“live unnoticed”). In order to preserve his equanimity, Montaigne deliberately avoids responsibility, withdrawing into private otium (“idleness”). He shuns social obligations, even to his own family, and tries to avoid any kind of service to the state. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a critique of this aspect of Epicurean ethics, and perhaps even of Montaigne himself, as its advocate.

Dans une lettre adressée à son ami médecin Giovanni Bianchi da Reggio, l'astronome italien Matteo Garimberti da Parma s'interroge sur la nature du bonheur humain. Dans ce texte notre auteur propose un panorama des grandes écoles philosophiques de l'Anti-quité, passant du Lycée au Portique, pour finalement s'arrêter dans le Jardin. Malgré le caractère apparemment scolaire de l'entreprise, il est remarquable que cette épître inédite ne se contente pas d'une simple doxographie, neutre et sans engagement de la part de son auteur, mais expose en filigranes les premiers linéaments d'une vision syncrétique de l'éthique grecque fortement inspirée par l'oeuvre de Sénèque. Si Aristote ouvre la voie théorique à une réconciliation de la vertu stoïcienne et du plaisir épicurien, c'est toutefois Épicure qui vient clore ce texte, et c'est avec lui que le lecteur demeure en dernier ressort, lui qui, à en croire notre auteur, défendit l'idée d'une volupté vertueuse. Cette lettre, écrite avant 1412 et probablement dès la fin du XIVe siècle, montre donc que l'éthique épicurienne faisait déjà l'objet d'attitudes positives avant la "redécouverte" de Lucrèce en 1417 et la traduction de Diogène Laërce.

Among the Epicureans the most testified use of their founders' quite similar portraits can be explained by an ideal twin friendship between Epicurus and Metrodorus, which is the first link in the chain of the Kepos' friends, connected to the divine model, principle and aim of the epicurean happiness. Now the zeal for gods imitation, through which epicurism has become a real religious reformation, presupposes that the most advanced disciples internally and even physically move. The mecanism of this transformation can be analysed both in the theory of gods' physic and in Epicurus' overflowing affectivity. It consists in a continuous flood of mental or visual "eidola" which men or (and) gods send to each other in a burst of friendship. The being of the gods finds in this unifying exchange a neverending nutriment, while the sage draws from it right in ecstasy his standing serenity.

Abondamment attesté chez les Épicuriens, l'usage des portraits des fondateurs de la secte s'explique par l'amitié idéale qui unissait Métrodore et Épicure, et qui réalisait le modèle divin du bonheur épicurien. Or, le zèle à imiter les dieux - qui fait de l'épicurisme une véritable réforme religieuse - suppose chez les sectateurs les plus avancés une mutation intérieure, dont le mécanisme s'analyse tant dans la théorie physique que dans l'affectivité débordante d'Épicure. Il consiste en un flux continu d'images mentales ou visuelles qui s'échangent dans l'effusion de l'amitié. L'être des dieux trouve dans ce commerce fusionnel un aliment ininterrompu et le sage puise dans cette extase même son indestructible sérénité.

Prompted by the thesis that an organism’s umwelt possesses not just a descriptive dimension, but a normative one as well, some have sought to annex semiotics with ethics. Yet the pronouncements made in this vein have consisted mainly in rehearsing accepted moral intuitions, and have failed to concretely further our knowledge of why or how a creature comes to order objects in its environment in accordance with axiological charges of value or disvalue. For want of a more explicit account, theorists writing on the topic have relied almost exclusively on semiotic insights about perception originally designed as part of a sophisticated refutation of idealism. The end result, which has been a form of direct givenness, has thus been far from convincing. In an effort to bring substance to the right-headed suggestion that values are rooted in the biological and conform to species-specific requirements, we present a novel conception that strives to make explicit the elemental structure underlying umwelt normativity. Building and expanding on the seminal work of Ayn Rand in metaethics, we describe values as an intertwined lattice which takes a creature’s own embodied life as its ultimate standard; and endeavour to show how, from this, all subsequent valuations can in principle be determined.

A short presentation I was invited to give to students of British Literature at Saarland University, 22.11.16. It is a very simply and by no means complete introduction ot the ethics of Epicurus, designed for people with no background in philosophy whatsoever. It is meant to provide information on Epicurus's 'Letter to Menoeceus' as a possible source of inspiration on which Ben Jonson drew for his character of Sir Epicure Mammon in his play 'The Alchemist'. The presentation is by no means exhaustive and might be turned into a proper research paper about intersections of philosophy and literature - if time allows.

Анализируется философская полемика между стоиками и эпикурейцами. Анализ философской дискуссии стоиков и эпикурейцев по вопросам необходимости и случайности показал, что данная тема не была центральной в межшкольной полемике эпохи эллинизма. Основная полемика разворачивалась вокруг морально-этических проблем, особенно касательно вопросов счастья. В то же время вопросы, дискутируемые в физике стоиков и эпикурейцев, являются дополнительным средством для идентификации этических предпочтений представителей этих философских направлений. Так, индетерминистическая позиция эпикурейцев говорит о негативно-пассивном характере их этики, т. е. главными компонентами этической доктрины последователей Эпикура являются запрещающие нормы. Детерминистическая позиция стоиков, напротив, свидетельствует о позитивно-активном характере их этики, в том смысле, что повелевающие нормы там превалируют.

The paper focuses on the philosophical debate between the Stoics and Epicureans. An analysis of the philosophical discussion about necessity and contingency shows that the topic was not significant for interscholastic debates of the Hellenistic period. The paper demonstrates that the main questions for Hellenistic philosophers are located in ethical theory with one of the most important being: “what is happiness?”. However, the philosophical discussions about physical problems are additional tools for clarification of the ethical preferences of the Stoics and Epicureans. It is shown that Epicurean indeterminism indicates a negative and passive character of the Epicurean ethics. It means that the ethics of Epicurus mostly consists of the inhibitions. On the contrary, Stoic determinism indicates a positive and active character of ethics. That means that the Stoic ethics mainly includes requirements.

Fanzine del Taller: "Movimientos Contraculturales en la Filosofía Helenística"

Este proyecto es el resultado de un esfuerzo colectivo. Somos una célula nacida del Taller “Movimientos Contraculturales en la Filosofía Helenística”. Usted, lectora o lector, no tiene entre sus manos un producto de mera erudición, estamos muy lejos tanto del academicismo que enclaustra la filosofía en las paredes de universidades e institutos, como del emprendedurismo infantil tan en boga en nuestros tiempos.

L’importance et la diversité de l’œuvre de Marcel Conche suffisent à justifier qu’on lui con- sacre cette journée d’étude : une œuvre qui est à la fois celle d’un savant universitaire avec l’édition des Lettres et maximes d’Épicure, des Fragments d’Anaximandre, d’Héraclite et de Parménide, ses études sur Pyrrhon, Lucrèce, Montaigne, Nietzsche et même Lao-Tseu, mais aussi celle d’un penseur original qui a développé une philosophie propre à travers des livres comme Orientation philosophique, La mort et la pensée, Temps et destin, Le fondement de la morale, L’Aléatoire, Vivre et philosopher, Présence de la Nature, Philosopher à l’infini, La liberté, Métaphysique, philosophie qu’il ne cesse de développer et de préciser. Cette œuvre comporte encore un volet littéraire avec, par exemple, Ma vie antérieure, Le destin de solitude et les cinq volumes du Journal étrange.
L’attention que l’œuvre mérite ne saurait toutefois faire oublier la singularité du parcours personnel d’un philosophe qui a commencé par garder les vaches, faire les foins, travailler la vigne et gauler les noix, et d’un éminent spécialiste de philosophie ancienne qui n’a pu se mettre au latin et au grec que tardivement – à plus de vingt ans – comme en témoigne l’un de ses derniers ouvrages, Épicure en Corrèze (2014), qui connaît actuellement un grand succès de librairie. On peut voir en cette vie comme une leçon de philosophie.
Il faut encore souligner que Marcel Conche s’est toujours voulu professeur de philosophie parmi et avec les professeurs de philosophie. Nous sommes particulièrement sensibles à son engagement en faveur de l’unité de l’enseignement philosophique et à sa fidélité à l’égard de l’Association des professeurs de philosophie de l’enseignement public dont il est aujourd’hui le plus ancien membre. C’est ainsi qu’il a donné à la revue L’Enseignement philosophique de très nombreux articles qui ont ensuite figuré dans certains de ses livres, à telle enseigne qu’on peut dire qu’une part importante de son œuvre y a été d’abord publiée. Cet engagement, cette fidélité sont indissociables d’une démarche philosophique animée par le souci du vrai et la volonté de traiter de l’essentiel en partant toujours de l’élémentaire, ce qui la rend sans doute exemplaire aux yeux de beaucoup de professeurs enseignant dans les lycées.
Au cours de cette journée du 28 mars, les intervenants seront des proches de Marcel Conche : ils s’attacheront à mettre en lumière certains des aspects majeurs de sa pensée.

Epicurus situated the value of these right actions in their ability to bring about pleasure (hédoné), which he identified with the ultimate and final good (telos). His identification with pleasure has caused a great deal of misunderstanding in his philosophy, as philosophers and scholars alike have often distorted his ideas by interpreting him from the framework of more recent empirical hedonists. Further, his idiosyncratic views on pleasure and apparent inconsistencies in his writing have been met with fierce criticism and contributed to his dismissal as a serious ethicist. But such rash dismissal and fierce criticism may not be justified given his surviving works are scanty and many of our primary sources are indeed secondary we may benefit from assessing him with context in mind. The purpose of this paper then will be to defend Epicurus’ conception of pleasure. To do so I will give a detailed account of his hedonic account. Then I will discuss his view that we are either in a pleasurable or painful state. Once I have explained this I will give reason to why Epicurus holds a binary conception of pleasure with reference to eudaimonist requirements of happiness. To supplement this I will discuss the plausibility of eudaimonist requirements of happiness. After this I will show how Epicurus’ attempt at equating desires with natural needs is illegitimate with reference to Aristotle’s division between object and subjective conceptions of pleasure. Ultimately I will show Epicurus’ hedonist account can be reconciled with the eudaimonist theory by explaining how kinetic and katastematic pleasures meet the formal requirement of happiness.

επιθετική εφόρμηση της ζωής σε μια μόνο σωματική διαπίστωση μπορεί να οδηγήσει : «Είναι όλα τόσο ζωντανά που δεν αντέχονται !» 1 . Σόσο ζωντανά που μάς πεθαίνουν. Μοιρασμένος μεταξύ εκπνοής και εισπνοής, ιδού ! ο καθοδηγητής στο Αδύνατο, μόνιμος κάτοικος τής ανάσας μας. Θάνατος, ο οξύηχος επισκέπτης, «με σημαίες και με ταμπούρλα». Ο εισερχόμενος προς συνάντηση ως Διόνυσος Ωμηστής, προσφέροντας ακατέργαστη βακχεία. Θάνατος, ο αεί καταληψίας του ώμου μου, ο πιο κολλητός πάνω μου κι απ' το πετσί μου. Η πιο ζεστή ανάσα στο στόμα μου. Ο οινοχόος στις πλάγιες νύχτες μου. Ο παρακοιμώμενος στις φωτολάγνες καταδύσεις μου. Ο λυτρωτής απ' την αυτάρκεια των παιδικών μου παιχνιδιών, καθότι τα μετατόπιζε, τα ρηγμάτωνε, τα επισημοποιούσε.

In the spirit of the myth related by Prodicus,1 Greek and Roman philosophers often assume that human beings are confronted with a fundamental moral choice, between the narrow path of Virtue and the broad path of Pleasure, and they give reasons why one should prefer the former alternative over the latter. And while many of them, including Plato and Aristotle, ascribe some conditional value to pleasure, they decisively reject hedonism, i.e., the view that pleasure is or ought to be the only intrinsic good and hence the telos or ultimate goal for man. The arguments for and against hedonism rehearsed in Plato's dialogues2 and in Aristotle's ethics and rhetoric,3 as well as the slim evidence concerning the fanatical anti-hedonism of Antisthenes and of the earlier Cynics and the more moderate attitudes of other Socratic schools, establish that pleasure was a major topic of debate in the classical and post-classical eras and that hedonism was viewed as an ethical theory to be seriously reckoned with. For, in addition to the fact that he don ism could be taken to be implicit in common practices and in the kind of social and political attitudes illustrated by the Platonic Callicles in the Gorgias, it also found philosophical expression both within the Academy and near the core of the Socratic circle. According to Aristotle, Eudoxus defended pleasure as the good on the grounds that every animal desires, most of all, to obtain pleasure but avoid pain, seeks pleasure for its own sake rather than for the sake of something else, and treats every other good as having greater value when pleasure is added to it (NE 10.2). In corroboration of his he don-ism, he also remarked that, although pleasure is a good, it is never praised as such; this he took to be an indication of the fact that pleasure is superior to other praiseworthy things, in the sense that it constitutes a point of reference for assessing their value (NE 1.12). However, more intriguing and probably more influential was the hedonism of the 1 The sophist Prodicus relates an allegory, according to which Hercules was confronted with just that choice and opted for Virtue, rejecting Pleasure. 2 Plat. Prot. 351b-358d, Gorg. 492d-507e, Rep. 9.581a-587e, and the Philebus. The citations are found in that order also in

Amongst the Herculanean papyri there is a Philodemean work of biographical-historiographical character, which basically consists of quotations from letters of Epicurus or related persons (two copies PHerc. 1418 and 310). The work is commonly referred to by the short title "Pragmateiai" (treatises/documents) and scholars have since ever believed that the complete title, which has never been restored convincingly, includes in any case the plural "Pragmateiai". This article argues that there is most proably not a nominative plural, but a dative singular in the title and the title must be restored to the sense " On the mentions of Epicurus' friends (Epicureans) and some others in the "Pragmateia"." The singular "Pragmateia" refers also in other Philodemean works to the whole of Epicurus' doctrines and in particular to his letters (corpus Epicuri). There has never been a "Pragmeteiai" (plural) and the new title suggests that the character of this work was a kind of collections of fragments of Epicureans and other persons mentioned in Epicurus' works/letters, who were put in context by Philodemus  -Philodemus as a "modern" collector of fragments arranged according to persons who occur in Epicurus' letters/works

Seneca rarely quotes Horace: his relationship with this author is complex and subtle. In Ep. 60, the motivs of nurses' prayers, blamed because they wish things which are bad for us, and of an otium which has to be philosophical and not deoted to physical pleasures such as that of animals, represent in my opinion a polemic allusion to Horace's Ep. 1.4, where the poet addresses a sad and somehow Stoic Tibullus, who has realised all of his nurses' prayers, presenting himself as a fat and joyful pig from Epicurus' hare. In order to stress his blame of Epicurean otium, Seneca in Ep. 60 quotes a passage from Sallust: so, he uses another moralistic author as an ally against Horace.

Feminism and Classics conferences. Comments are welcome on the Cloelia Blog: wccaucus.org/cloeli Cloelia N.S. 2 (Fall 2012) 43 Judith Fletcher (Wilfrid Laurier University, Vice-President of the WN), Lisa Trentin (University of Toronto at Mississauga, Secretary) and Melanie Racette-Campbell (University of Toronto, graduate student representative).

El amor es un elemento importante, aunque no primordial, en la poesía de Horacio. Concretamente, en la primera obra compuesta por Horacio, las Sátiras o Sermones, documentamos una postura contraria al amor y a la seducción, en línea con el ideario epicúreo. Horacio denuesta la implicación emocional inherente al amor por las mujeres y, por tanto, disuade de implicarse en prácticas de seducción. Ridiculiza la posición poco airosa del enamorado excluido a las puertas de la amada (serm. II 3, 259-275) y disuade de mantener relaciones adúlteras con matronas (serm. I 2, II 7). Se estudiará este tema desde una perspectiva comparatista, con especial atención a la configuración tematológica del motivo, sus fuentes (epigrama griego, Lucrecio) y su proyección (en Quevedo y en los hermanos Argensola).

Praxis realisieren lasse. Das Motiv spielt eine wichtige Rolle in der Kyrupädie. Aristoteles hat sich zu Beginn der Politik (Pol. 1,1. 1252a7ff) mit diesem Konzept auseinandergesetzt, und er hat sich eindeutig von jenen abgegrenzt, die die These vertraten, es gebe zwischen der Herrschaft im Oikos und in der Polis keinen essentiellen Unterschied. V.A., S. 329ff verknüpft nun dieses Modell der väterlichen Liebe mit dem der brüderlichen Einheit in der Form, daß er sozusagen eine Entwicklung von der brüderlichen Einheit hin zur Liebe des Vaters annimmt ('De l'union fraternelle à l'amour paternel'). Dies erscheint mir nicht so schlüssig. Die Griechen, nicht erst Aristoteles, haben schon sehr früh gesehen, daß zwischen beiden Bereichen ein essentieller Unterschied bestehen kann. Lediglich auf der metaphorischen Ebene -der Bruder als väterlicher Freund, der Vater als großer Bruder -gibt es die Möglichkeit einer Annäherung. Gleichwohl hat das Charis-Konzept in beiden Bereichen funktioniert. V.A. zeigt anhand der Memorabilien 2,3 und 2,4, wie Xenophon eine regelrechte Freundschaftstheorie und eine Theorie der Bruderliebe entwickelte, die zum einen sehr realistisch war, zum anderen aber auch eine Ethik des richtigen Verhaltens zwischen Freunden bzw. Brüdern involvierte.

En nuestros días, la mención de mujeres filósofas en las grandes historias de la filosofía en poco o casi nada se las refiere al situar como colosales gestores del pensamiento occidental a los varones. Sin embargo, las continuas referencias a la presencia de mujeres, incluso de renombre, en una de las escuelas de pensamiento más importantes en la era helenista como fue la escuela de Epicuro: el Jardín, se manifiesta como primera escuela griega que sitúa al género femenino en el desarrollo de su pensamiento.

Tal como se nos ha trasmitido a lo largo de la historia del pensamiento, la premisa sustancial de la filosofía epicúrea que dice del placer el ser fin de la vida feliz parece amparar ciertas actitudes que no son propicias a buen modo de vida tal como lo pensaron los filósofos previos a Epicuro. Pero, el bienestar humano que asume este filósofo heleno desborda las típicas concepciones de un saciar los deseos del cuerpo, además de estimar todo examen de estos como condición forzosa para no perder al sujeto en su búsqueda de felicidad, lo cual le hace ser un pensador que no se enfoca en un hedonismo extremo.

Theses are the notes for a short presentation given to students of British Literature at Saarland University, 22.11.2016. Their seminar being on three Jacobean city comedies, I was invited to give an introduction to Epicurean ethics, since the character of 'Sir Epicure Mammon' in Ben Jonsons play 'The Alchemist' was inspired by the Hellenistic philosopher Epicurus. I held that introduction very short and simple, because most of the students had no background in philosophy. I also hinted at a few points for a non-exhaustive comparison between Epicurus and Sir Epicure and commented briefly on possible historical sources of Jonson. The short presentation might be turned into a prope research paper exploring an overlap of philosophy and literature, if time allows.

Euthanasia, how to live well and die well Takis Panagiotopoulos, Athens 2017 translated by Rachel Forides

Philosophy is an empty word, if in reality it does not lead to an enjoyable life, if it does not lead away from pain, grief and disappointment. Especially today and especially we, the people of cities, are far removed from natural life and are full of anxiety, tension and nerves. And in the midst of an economic and humanitarian crisis, in an era of technological advances and conquest of space, we as societies are allowing the return of barbaric customs. But we move against these times. In our philosophical quest, we determine which choices to make and which to avoid, and all this in our one and only life time, we Epicureans do not avoid talking openly about topics and words that are prohibitive to others. For pleasure which is the basis of life itself, to please both body and soul. To enjoy beautiful forms and Dionysian spectacles. To benefit from friendship. We declare that the natural law is not to harm one another and not to harm ourselves. We dare to say things as they are, without fantasies and allegories. We are not afraid to expose superstitions and all that persecute us from our childhood. And of course we talk comfortably about death as this helps us not fear it, at least not as much as others. Why yes, we fear death as human beings do. But when we overcome this fear, through our mental toil and hardship, as some things need a lot of work to be conquered, then we turn to other matters of concern. On how to reach life's end and how to make it dignified so we can depart by having told stories on how we lived well for the duration of our life. Yes it is not unfair in a society where life has value, to ponder on these issues. And to analyze and recommend solutions that ultimately have to do with the conquest of bliss. And first of all, then we say: The most awful of evils, death, is nothing to us 1 Epicurus says "Accustom yourself to believe that death is nothing to us, for good and evil imply awareness, and death is the privation of all awareness". "Death, therefore, the most 1 NON FUI, FUI, NON SUM, NON CURO-Δεν υπήρχα, υπήρξα, δεν υπάρχω, δε με νοιάζει..

[English below] Le traité "Péri Parrhêsias" (PHerc. 1471) de Philodème de Gadara représente une source majeure pour la compréhension de la "parrhêsia" épicurienne. Malgré l’état fort dégradé du papyrus, cependant contrebalancé par les ébauches d’éditions transmises par Henry, l’éditeur actuel, et par les résultats de la recherche bibliologique effectuée par White, une interprétation thématique du manuel "Péri Parrhêsias", "Sur la franchise", a été rendue possible, de telle sorte qu’elle peut désormais servir de fondement pour examiner la place de la parrhêsia dans les Actes des apôtres. En comparant la manière dont Luc utilise la "parrhêsia" avec celle de Philodème, il apparaît que la première s’appuie sur la seconde, tous les thèmes philodémiens étant présents dans quasiment toutes les péricopes lucaniennes. Néanmoins, Luc adapte la "parrhêsia" à son propre projet narratif, tout en lui donnant un rôle stratégique pour décrire l’expansion de l’évangile jusqu’aux extrémités de la terre.

The "Peri Parrhêsias" treatise (PHerc. 1471) of Philodemus of Gadara represents a major source for the comprehension of Epicurean "parrhêsia". In spite of the extremely deteriorated condition of the papyrus, nevertheless compensated by the draft editions transmitted by the current editor, Henry, and by the results of the bibliological research effectuated by White, a thematic interpretation of the manuel "Peri Parrhêsias", "On frankness", has been made possible, in such a way as to provide henceforth a basis to examine the role of parrhêsia in the Acts of the Apostles. When comparing the manner in which Luke employs parrhêsia with that of Philodemus, it is apparent that the first relies on the latter, all of the Philodemus themes being present in practically all of the Lucan pericopae. However, Luke adapts the "parrhêsia" to his own narrative project, all while giving it a strategic role in describing the expansion of the Gospel unto the end.

D’une part les riches propriétés des citoyens romains étaient remplies des images se référant dans la majorité de cas au sens non philosophique. D’autre part les hommes bien formés s’entouraient des images remplies des allusions philosophiques. Certains parmi eux considèrent certaines vérités philosophiques comme le plus justes et qui correspondaient les mieux avec leur manière de vie. A la manière de Trimalcion, par snobisme, les hommes aisés achetaient ou faisaient exécuter des objets ou des images au sens profondément philosophique. Dans l'imagerie romaine on retrouve plusieurs éléments se référant aux écoles philosophiques. Des images des philosophes sont bien connues, comme par exemple l’image de l’Académie de Platon sur deux mosaïques, l’une de Torre Annunziata, près de Pompéi et une autre de Sarsina en Ombrie. Une autre série des représentations illustre les Sept Sages avec des maximes inscrites soit en grec soit en latin. Cette source iconographique constitue également un témoignage non négligeable pour comprendre des prédilections des Romains concernant quelques aspects de la philosophie présocratique. L'image de Socrate est choisie pour évoquer le rôle exceptionnel de sa philosophie chez quelques citoyens romains. La philosophie d’Epicure et de ses élèves est présente et bien appréciés par des Romains. Ici, on peut rappeler la mosaïque des philosophes d'Autun, exceptionnelle et très importante, car les effigies d’Epicure, de Métrodore et d’Anacréon sont accompagnes des quelques pensées écrites en grec. Des représentations des squelettes et des crânes de morts se réfèrent à la philosophie de l’épicurisme. Un gobelet de Boscoreale confirme certaines allusions de l’épicurisme à la vie et à la mort dans l’art romain. Les opinions de cette école sont bien visibles et lisibles dans l’imagerie et les inscriptions funéraires. La philosophie de Plotin influence certains programmes iconographiques, surtout au IVe siècle. Une image de l’univers réglé et ordonné selon la philosophie païenne est perceptible sur les mosaïques de Schahba Philippopolis, en Syrie. Elle exprime son méprit par rapport à la philosophie chrétienne. Un siècle plus tard, dans la mosaïque de la Maison d’Aiôn à Paphos, la philosophie et la religion païenne proclamées par les adeptes de l’école néoplatonicienne sont utilisées pour s’opposer avec une série des images mythologiques se servant de l’allégorie narrative contre le christianisme. Il sera intéressant et utile de rassembler ces témoignages des échos de la pensée philosophique chez les Romains non philosophes.

The paper starts with a hermeneutical argument for materialist ethics. Human life is short, we do not have all the time in the world for a perfect ethical theory. Materialist ethics are a group of theories that want to be profitable and want to pay off in this life. A theory of ethical welfare must be trimmed to fit our contemporary life-world. To investigate what the good life is, classical theories like hedonism, preferentism, and the objective list theory will be examined and discussed, including various modifications and the key problems of those theories. We will prove the above theories to be inadequate and construct a new materialist theory of the good or flourishing life which avoids the problems of its competitors.

Another paper in German. In what could be considered to be his moral philosophy, Descartes apparently drew on ancient Greek philosophers but very often he does not give them credit (as was usual back in those days). The aim of this paper is to work out the similarities and differences between Descartes and Epicurus, and to find out how much of the Epicurus's ideas might be implicit in Descartes' 'moral par provision'.