The writings of Epicurus are primarily known to the modern world through the collection known as the Principal Doctrines, which was curated at some point in during the third century by Diogenes Laertius within his own work titled Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers. Due to this foresight by Diogenes, Epicurus is the father of a philosophy that has been as subject to distortion as any in the long history of the discipline.
Today, Epicureanism is synonymous with unbound hedonism; eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die. While the writings of Epicurus does outline a philosophy in which pleasure can effective be located as the standard by which every action can be judged right or wrong, they also strongly promote moderation, prudence and the cultivation of a virtuous existence. Clearly, Epicurus is himself quite out of sync with the images of orgiastic indulgence in wine, women, and song that have become associated with him.
Where are the traditional lofty notions of philosophical pursuit to be found in such topics? These writings place Epicurus at the vanguard of the longstanding philosophical face-off between rationalism and empiricism in relation to apprehending knowledge. Epicurus was an empiricist long before empiricism was fashionable; in fact, the theories outlined in his works poured forth a foundation upon which later philosophers would construct their arguments favoring perception as the path to truth while emphatically rejecting the very concept of absolute and fixed meaning.
Among the most famous writings of Epicurus are those aptly described as his series of “Letters to.” For instance, his Letter to Pythocles is concerned with astronomical concepts while his Letter Menoceus lays down the foundation of his own theories of morality.
Interestingly for a man whose philosophy of life deemed no pleasure being bad in and of itself, the writings of Epicurus are remarkably disassociated from political themes. In fact, Epicurus was a faithful practitioner of his own advocacy that pleasure is best pursued by withdrawing from all things having to do with politics.
