Though his name is often misleadingly associated with indulgence in sensual pleasures, the Greek philosopher Epicurus developed a far-reaching system of thought that incorporated an empiricist theory of knowledge, a description of nature based on atomistic materialism, and views about the importance of friendship. His notions of what constitutes a good life have preserved the relevance of Epicurean philosophy for contemporary life. A diverse array of thinkers, including Thomas Jefferson, Diderot, and Jeremy Bentham, have considered themselves Epicureans. So what is the legacy of Epicurus, and how have his ideas become integrated into the fabric of modernity? With great pleasure John and Ken welcome David Konstan from NYU, author ofA Life Worthy of the Gods: The Materialist Psychology of Epicurus.
约翰和肯首先消除了一些关于伊壁鸠鲁哲学的常见神话。生活在公元前341年至270年的希腊哲学家伊壁鸠鲁并不推崇对美食、美酒或其他感官享受的持续追求。相反，他认为人类幸福的关键在于避免痛苦，满足我们对食物和友谊的自然和必要的欲望。他还认为，对永生的渴望是不自然和不必要的，因为它永远不会得到满足。约翰和肯在这一点上争论厌恶死亡是否是自然的。肯坚持认为，即使你不相信来世，不存在本身也是坏事。但约翰用伊壁鸠鲁的一个论点来回应——生命后的不存在并不比生命前的不存在好或坏，所以肯不得不说出生前的一段时间是坏的。
David Konstan, Professor of Classics at New York University joins our hosts to shed more light on Epicurus’ interconnected theories of psychology and metaphysics. Epicurus believed that much of our displeasure in life, and much of our motivation for seeking out unnecessary riches, came from anxiety about an afterlife, which most Greeks believed was a state wherein the gods would continue to rain misfortunes upon us. As a strict materialist, he did not believe that the human soul outlived the body. Therefore he thought there was no afterlife, and so nothing to fear in death. Yet he knew that it was hard to get over this fear of death on one’s own, and so encouraged his followers to form communities of friends who would discuss life and death together.
David also highlights Epicurus’ main differences with a competing contemporary school of thought, stoicism, as well as the similarities and differences between his beliefs and Buddhist thought.
伊壁鸠鲁是原子论者，在这一观点获得广泛接受之前的2000年。他有关于自然选择和人类社会秩序变化的理论，但没有关于新物种出现的理论。他关于被压抑的焦虑的概念是明显的弗洛伊德式的。但是伊壁鸠鲁与现代社会的惊人关联并没有结束于他预言了科学共识的事实——他最重要的贡献可能是他的心理学见解在今天是多么的相关。伊壁鸠鲁会指出，广告就是诱导人们产生不自然和不必要的欲望，利用我们对死亡的恐惧。他认为哲学应该像治疗一样，引导我们远离不必要的欲望，减轻我们对死亡的恐惧。
