Frankenstein's Cat.pdf - University of Cincinnati

EPICURUS AND THE ORIGINS OF WESTERN HUMANISM
the operation of the impersonal laws of nature and
which are partly open to human control and hence
capable of being mitigated through the exercise of
prudence.
It is not possible for one to rid himself of his fears
about the most important things if he does not understand
the nature of the universe but dreads some of the
things he has learned in the myths. Therefore, it is not
possible to gain unmixed happiness without natural
science.!
2.! The prudent selection of fulfilling interpersonal
relationships
3.! A prudent response to social pressures and turmoil.
These latter two points require further elaboration.
10. The Epicurean Duty Toward Others
The Epicurean is admonished to do no harm to others
and to accept no harm from others, whether that harm
be physical or mental. He should not unnecessarily
disturb the tranquility of others through impoliteness,
harsh criticism, or spitefulness. In short, he should be a
gentleman:
He who is calm disturbs neither himself nor another.
! Recalling Schopenhauer’s famous metaphor of the
freezing porcupines on a winter’s day seeking warmth
by huddling together and yet driven apart by the poking
of their quills, we would say that Epicurus came to
the conclusion that friendship represented the ideal
equilibrium position – the most prudent and fulfilling
of all human interactions. !
1. !He felt that a closer approach often resulted in relationships
based on unbridled and irrational passions,
sexual or otherwise, which could potentially disturb
the mind through jealousy and envy and the body
through the creation of insatiable desires.
2. !He felt that a more distant approach, based on mere
acquaintance, social conventions, and the formalities of
law and justice, was ultimately a poor substitute for the
affection and trust engendered by true friendship.
Instead, the tranquil man fills his life with the company
of friends of like mind, selected through the exercise of
prudence and maintained through the exercise of trust
and mutual sympathy. Epicurean communities were
essentially conclaves of friends, linked through a
Figure 11. A computer image of a restored full body statue
of Epicurus. Many of the heads found in various museums
are probably fragments of these larger statues.
common study of natural science and celebration of the
memory of deceased members:
Of the things that wisdom prepares for insuring lifelong
happiness, by far the greatest is the possession of
friends ... The noble man is chiefly concerned with
wisdom and friendship; of these the former is a mortal
good, the latter an immortal one ... Friendship dances
through the world bidding us all to awaken to the
recognition of happiness.
11. The Epicurean Duty Toward Society
The tranquil man does not unnecessarily incur the
wrath of society through public disrespect of the law or
the state religion, in so far as this can be done in a
manner consistent with his private beliefs. Indeed, in
order to maintain tranquility of mind, Epicureans were
expressly advised not to participate in politics or public
life in any way:
If a man were to undertake a systematic inquiry into
what is most destructive of friendship and most productive
of enmity, he would find it in the system of
political life. Witness the envy roused by those who
compete for its prizes, the rivalry that springs up between
the contestants, the animosities that accompany the
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