Part 1: Topic Sentence
Philosophies play a crucial role in giving all the answers to life. They contain ideologies that promote human health and wellness. Great philosophers have developed theories that address pertinent issues, such as meditation and contemplation, and stress, and relaxation. One such great philosopher is Epicurus. In his philosophical ideas, Epicurus stressed the need for human beings to live pure lives, full of pleasure and free of pain ( Clarke, 2019 ). For instance, Epicurus asserts th at worries are not only unnecessary but also unnatural desires, which should be avoided by all means ( Clarke, 2019 ). To him, problems can be entirely eliminated by adopting simple lives. Epicurus ideas on leisure and happiness relate well with the topics of stress and relaxation in our daily life situations. This is because the primary purpose of life is happiness, and human beings can find ultimate joy in life through merely living simple lives.
Part 2: Outline
The main reason why I chose to research and write about Epicureanism Philosopher is that I found his ideas intriguing. His theories emphasize the need for leading a joyful and pleasurable life (DeHart, 2014). The major themes discussed in Epicureanism include the importance of friendship, the various kinds of pleasure, the different types of desires, virtues, and death (DeHart, 2014). Epicureanism became highly influential during the Hellenistic age ( Fieser, 2017 ). Unlike the other prominent philosophers, such as Socrates and Joseph Pieper, Epicurus had an outstanding personality. For instance, he accumulated several disciplines and taught them; hence, he became widely known as the "philosophy of the Garden" ( Fieser, 2017 ). A significant similarity between Epicureanism and hedonism is that both believe that pleasure leads to happiness ( Fieser, 2017 ). However, while hedonists assert that each person must find a way of increasing their desires, Epicureanism believes that they must seek to control their pleasures ( Fieser, 2017 ). Nevertheless, happiness is the key to the value of joy in life.
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This research paper makes various arguments regarding Epicureanism Philosopher. Epicureanism played a vital role in enhancing the people's perception of the individual value in Ancient Greece, and subsequently, the role of the government in society. Epicurus takes the hedonistic view of goodness, leisure, stress, and relaxation. Besides, the paper explains in detail how Epicureanism ideas on leisure and happiness relate to the topic of stress and relaxation in the modern world. Under this scope, a clear outline of the various theories of leisure is given. Also, the comparison and contrast of major philosophical perspectives on leisure are given in this research. Finally, this paper argues that Epicurus' ideology offers the most reasonable answer to the idea of goodness, as compared to the other philosophers, such as Plato, Socrates, and Pieper. Some of the key critical thinking skills learned in this research includes purpose, information, assumptions, questioning, inference, implications, concepts, and point of view.
This research is backed up by various credible sources. Most of the sources used are either directly or indirectly related to Epicureanism Philosopher. Besides, the paper utilizes other articles addressing other philosophies, such as those of Socrates, Plato, and Pieper. The sources sought in this research are those which are related to leisure. A minimum of six sources is used to back up the claims made in this research. The credibility of the sources used was analyzed based on the authors’ educational backgrounds and areas of professionalism, the validity of the source based on the date of publication, and the sources listed in each of the articles. In this regard, both forward and backward research methods are utilized in this paper. The primary supportive sources used in this research are described below:
Cari, E. A., & Clifton, E.W. (2019). The leisure context and adolescent adjustment: World Leisure Journal. 61(4): 258-259. DOI: 10.1080/16078055.2019.1661102 .
Cha, Y.J. (2018). Correlation between Leisure Activity Time and Life Satisfaction: Based on KOSTAT Time Use Survey Data: Occupational Therapy International: https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/5154819
DeHart, S.L. (2014). Improving public health from an Epicurean perspective: Journal of Public Health. 37 (4): 741–743. https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdu106
Clarke, J. (2019). Using Epicurean Philosophy for Finding Happiness. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/epicurean-philosophy-and-happiness-4177914
Fieser, J. (2017). Hellenistic Philosophy: From the History of Philosophy: A Short Survey. https://www.utm.edu/staff/jfieser/class/110/3-hellenistic.htm
Gazur, B. (2019). Why Epicurus Matters Today: The Mantle. Retrieved from https://www.themantle.com/philosophy/why-epicurus-matters-today
Part 3: Final Submission
The Role of Epicureanism in Enhancing the Lives of Ancient Greece and the Modern Society
The Epicureanism philosophy was introduced in Ancient Greece in around 322 B.C by the philosopher known as Epicurus (Gazur, 2019). Therefore, the Epicureanism Philosophy was named after the great philosopher, Epicurus.
Figure 1 : Showing the image of Epicurus; image by Gazur (2019) via https://www.themantle.com/philosophy/why-epicurus-matters-today
Epicurus took the opportunity as a teacher during this period to teach about his philosophy’s ethics that people should live by “the art of making life happy” (Gazur, 2019). A close examination of the Epicurus arguments indicates some significant truth in it. For instance, people need to live in their fullest hope in life in order to find happiness in life. Thus, one way of living a stress-free life is by putting aside all personal differences in life. Human beings should avoid indulging is acts like racism, corruption, and religious differences, which cause human conflicts, and subsequently, increase human stress. In this light and with regards to Epicurus, love has no race, no religion, no political disputes, and has no class. In other words, love generates ultimate happiness, hence preventing people from hurting others. Figure 1 and 2 below shows how love creates happiness.
Figure 2 ; image via https://www.pinterest.com/mkcocharoLMFT/love-happiness/
Figure 3 ; image via https://www.pexels.com/search/happiness/
In his teachings, Epicurus asserted that pleasure ends all forms of morality, and further argued that ultimate pressure might be achieved through living a prudence life, justice, and honor (Gazur, 2019). This formed the basis for the enlightening of Ancient Greece. People became intrigued by his philosophical ethics and saw some truth in the Epicurus teachings. People realized certain aspects of life. For example, the selfless people lead a happier life than the selfish. Besides, people live happy lives when they are friends, and that hostility causes a sense of insecurity and hence limits happiness.
It is worth noting that the ancient world was full of wars. Kings and other leaders fought to conquer the other nations. The best example is King of Epirus, Pyrrhus, who had a great desire to conquer the world (Gazur, 2019). Despite having all the riches and wine to make him live a happy life, Pyrrhus went further to plan a war against the Italian peninsula at a high cost to gold and life (Gazur, 2019). The king dismissed Cineas’ advice to avoid the war since they already had all the riches and the wine they needed to live a joyous life (Gazur, 2019). Unfortunately, Pyrrhus died in the war and failed to achieve his goals.
Figure 4 : Showing ancient battles; image via http://www.ancientbattles.com/WAB_Successors/EpiroteList.htm
Figure 5 : Showing image of dead King Pyrrhus; image via https://www.livius.org/articles/person/pyrrhus-of-epirus/
This particular incidence has a moral lesson to learn. The king died as a result of failing to listen to his Epicurean friend, Cineas. Consequently, the king ended up failing to enjoy the achievements he desired. This made the eye-witnesses think about the importance of avoiding pursuing matters that are unnecessary and would keep them always bothering. Besides, the king died in the process of attempting to harm other people. This means that Epicurus was right when he asserted that it is the source of living a peaceful and happy life. Perhaps, it would be much better if Pyrrhus thought of establishing trade relationships with the Italians if he wanted to obtain the gold.
The Epicureanism philosophy solved timeless problems. Although his voice came into existence in the ancient world, his philosophical ideologies have a wide range of applications in the modern world. His statements about the existence of atoms come to confirm the nature of reality. According to Epicurus, atoms exist in limited forms from where everything may be created simply by combining the atoms in various ways (Gazur, 2019). This formed the basis for the modern perception of the matter. Today, every scientist acknowledges that matter is made of small particles called atoms. These atoms combine freely without the assistance of gods; only the atoms, the void they move in, and forces of attraction in between the atoms (Gazur, 2019). Therefore, Epicureanism is in line with the modern concepts learned in chemistry and physics.
Figure 6 : Showing the existence of atoms; image via http://complex.upf.es/~josep/research.html
Figure 7 : Showing natural bonding in atoms; image via http://www.mikki.net/science_activities_page.htm
The concepts acquired from Epicureanism Philosophy are also applicable in daily life situations. Human beings should learn to avoid unnatural pleasures, such as alcohol and substance abuse. Epicurus argues that these natural pleasures would add more worry to people, and the result is harming ( DeHart, 2014 ). For instance, addicts keep thinking about how to get the drug in question. Thus, they may engage in crimes, such as theft, robbery, and prostitution, to get money for the purchase of the drugs. Besides, drugs and substances cause significant health issues to human beings. Drug abusers have a high risk of attack by diseases, such as lung cancer and liver cirrhosis. These inflict cause pain, or even death to people, and deny people of their happiness.
There is also evidence that avoiding pain may sometimes be dangerous to human speciation ( DeHart, 2014 ). For example, women must go through labor pain in order to give rise to a new generation. Avoid labor pain would, therefore, lead to the extinction of human beings. Also, human beings need to accept some forms of depression, such as those which occur during operation to correct damaged parts of the body. This is because such pain leads to pleasurable life in the long run. Hard work also leads to tiredness, and subsequently, pain. However, human beings should accept being tired, as tiredness during work yields significant fruits in life. Epicurus articulated all these concepts in his philosophy.
Concepts and Theories Defining Leisure
Leisure is a natural dream that any human being wishes to have or experience. This means that leisure is intuitive and that people learn the necessity of leisure on their own. Once a great philosopher called Aristotle stated, “ Just as we make war in order to have peace, the reason we labor is to have leisure” (Haecker, 2002). Therefore, it is hard to find a specific definition of leisure, since different authors approach the definition of leisure from different perspectives. However, there are a variety of concepts that may be used to define leisure from the first principles of definitions.
The first concept regards leisure as a residual (Haecker, 2002). According to this concept, leisure is the time left over after addressing the pertinent issues concerning all the life necessities (Haecker, 2002). This means that leisure may be considered as the time when people are not directly involved in a compulsory activity. However, some activities may be considered as leisure by some people, and yet not leisure to others. For example, professional footballers may not term playing competitive football as a leisure activity, yet doctors may play football during their free time. Secondly, leisure may be perceived as a state of being (Haecker, 2002). In this view, leisure may be perceived as a state of being, a condition, or an attitude (Haecker, 2002). This is in regard to Aristotle's point of view that leisure is not related to time, space, and activity (Haecker, 2002). The implication here is that personal leisure is primarily dependent on the individual state of mind.
Related to the state of being is the concept that terms leisure as an expression of personality (Haecker, 2002). Under this concept, leisure is what forms the personality and defines what the person is (Haecker, 2002). Therefore, this concept asserts that leisure is a personal opportunity for growth. The final concept views leisure as an activity (Haecker, 2002). For instance, if people engage in football competition after work, then the activity of playing become leisure. Thus, non-professional footballers dream of playing football after work, or during their free time.
Figure 8 : Football as a leisure activity; image via https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/PMfUShNcq9i3Ok8rCwd5fO/Monsoon-Memories-Three-sports-of-my-childhood.html
Figure 9 : Professional basketball; image via https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/aflw-academy-prospect-monique-conti-eyes-professional-football-and-basketball-career-20170413-gvkokv.html
Relationship between Epicureanism Ideas on Leisure and Happiness and the Topics of Stress and Relaxation in the Modern World
There are several ways in which the Epicureanism ideas on leisure and happiness relate to the topics of stress and relaxation in the modern world. Modern research shows that leisure activities enhance the health and well-being of old adults (Kim et al., 2014). In this regard, there is a correlation between leisure activity time and life satisfaction (Kim et al., 2014). This implies that those people who participate in leisure activities, such as games and sports, are likely to lead a healthy life, and subsequently live longer. This is in line with the concepts developed in the Epicureanism philosophy. For instance, Epicurus argued that if people find a way of getting rid of the state of discomfort, then they would life a pleasurable life (Kim et al., 2014). The best way of eliminating stress in human beings is participating in healthy leisure activities, such as games and sports, and watching educative movies. According to Epicurus, people should avoid static pleasures, such as those brought about by drugs and substance abuse (Kim et al., 2014). To Epicurus, drugs and substance abuse gives people a false sense of well-being and the later lead to long-term pain to human beings.
Figure 10 : Showing pleasure in sporting activities; image via https://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/75217/st-leonard-title
Epicurus believed that happiness could be obtained through certain aspects, such as friendship, living a virtuous life, being knowledgeable, living a temperate life, community, moderation and keeping away from bodily desires (Clarke, 2019). This is in line with the research findings by Cari and Clifton regarding leisure context and adolescent adjustment. Cari and Clifton (2019) establish that adolescents' leisure activities should be done with moderation. Young people are hyperactive, and if not rightly guided, they could engage in harmful leisure activities (such as sexual misconduct and drug abuse), which would otherwise increase their stress in the long run (Cari & Clifton, 2019). To Epicurus, immoral leisure activities may seem enjoyable but may pose serious health hazards to those involved. It would, therefore, be wise to choose leisure activities which may lead to slow but long-term relaxation.
Validity of Epicureanism
There are a variety of factors that make Epicureanism ideas valid even in the modern world. The idea of encouraging people to aspire living simple lives, by seeking pleasure while avoiding pain, is ideal. Today, the seemingly worries that are experienced by people are as a result of striving to be the richest in the world. Although acquiring substantial wealth is necessary for a healthy population, people should avoid using unfair means of acquiring wealth. The current rising insecurity issues are primarily caused by the desire to accumulate wealth suddenly through unjust deals, such as corruption, robbery, and theft. Epicurus teaches people that the purpose of life is happiness (Clarke, 2019). This is because satisfaction is the key to upright life and not riches, as many people think.
It would also right to argue that Epicurus is the father of science. This is because he developed the concepts of atoms as studied in modern science. In his arguments, Epicurus stated that the human body is made of atoms, such as soul and mind, which part at death ( Epicurus’ ideology offers the most reasonable answer to the idea of goodness ). Although Epicurus had no concept on the modern-day kinetic theory of matter, his earlier statements concur with what scientists today believe about the matter. It is now clear that matter is made of tiny particles that are in constant motion, and that matter can be changed from one form to another through making the atoms separate ( Cha, 2018 ). It can, therefore, be concluded that Epicurus was a scientist.
Finally, Epicurus was correct was he argued that pain might sometimes be necessary if it leads to a long-term pleasure ( Cha, 2018 ). For example, a patient may be subjected to pain during the operation to restore a damaged part of his or her body. However, if the pain outweighs pleasure, Epicurus encourages people to avoid it ( Cha, 2018 ). The best example is sexual intercourse and unwanted pregnancy. Although a person feels pleasure during sexual intercourse, the pain felt after the occurrence of pregnancy bears serious reputations to the victim. Another example is where the pleasure felt during drug and substance abuse leads to long-term addiction, and subsequently, severe health problems. Epicurus, therefore, asserts that it would be wise to avoid short-term pleasures that lead to long-term pain.
In conclusion, the current state of humanity the world is enjoying today originated from the ideas developed by the ancient philosophers, such as Plato, Socrates, Pieper, and Epicurus. These philosophers had one thing in common; they dreamed of an ideal world where people would live in peace. However, I consider Epicurus’ ideologies the most reasonable in offering solutions to the ideas of goodness. This is because Epicurus' views not only enhance people's perception of the individual value in Ancient Greece but also in modern society. If all people were to reason like Epicurus, the world would be peaceful, and there would be no need for police and other security agencies. It is, therefore, recommendable that Epicurus philosophies should be taught in all institutions offering basic education at the global level to help in achieving a peaceful world.
References
Cari, E. A., & Clifton, E.W. (2019). The leisure context and adolescent adjustment: World Leisure Journal. 61(4): 258-259. DOI: 10.1080/16078055.2019.1661102 .
Cha, Y.J. (2018). Correlation between Leisure Activity Time and Life Satisfaction: Based on KOSTAT Time Use Survey Data: Occupational Therapy International: https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/5154819
Clarke, J. (2019). Using Epicurean Philosophy for Finding Happiness. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/epicurean-philosophy-and-happiness-4177914
DeHart, S.L. (2014). Improving public health from an Epicurean perspective: Journal of Public Health. 37 (4): 741–743. https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdu106
Fieser, J. (2017). Hellenistic Philosophy: From the History of Philosophy: A Short Survey. https://www.utm.edu/staff/jfieser/class/110/3-hellenistic.htm
Gazur, B. (2019). Why Epicurus Matters Today: The Mantle. Retrieved from https://www.themantle.com/philosophy/why-epicurus-matters-today
Haecker, S. (2002). The Meanings of Leisure. Accessed October 26, 2019; from https://www.grin.com/document/106712
Kim, J., Yamada, N., Heo, J., & Han, A. (2014). Health benefits of serious involvement in leisure activities among older Korean adults. International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being , 9 , 24616. doi:10.3402/qhw.v9.24616.
