Epicureanism today

Common misunderstandings

"Epicurean" means a gourmet.

That sense of the word comes from later centuries. Epicurus himself is reported to have lived on bread and water, with a little cheese when he wanted a feast, and said a little luxury is a pleasant occasional change, not a need.

It teaches indulgence.

Epicurus rejected the pleasures of excess because they bring pain later (PD 8). The goal is the absence of pain and disturbance, which he thought needed few possessions.

It means giving up on morality.

Epicurus held that nobody can live pleasantly without living sensibly, honourably and justly (PD 5). Ethics, in his view, is part of what makes a calm life possible.

It means avoiding other people.

He advised avoiding politics, not friends. Friendship was the greatest of the goods wisdom provides (PD 27).

It is a religion.

It is a philosophy and a way of life. Its ancient followers honoured Epicurus with a yearly remembrance and a monthly supper, but he was a teacher, not a god, and the school did not ask for belief without argument.

A short history of revivals

Epicureanism lasted for around six centuries in the ancient world and then faded with the rise of Christianity. Its main texts were lost or neglected. The rediscovery of Lucretius' poem in 1417 brought the school back into European discussion, and in the seventeenth century the French philosopher Pierre Gassendi revived an Epicurean atomism that influenced early modern science.

Later admirers include Thomas Jefferson, who wrote in 1819 that he was an Epicurean. In more recent years scholars and general readers have shown renewed interest, and a number of reading groups and discussion circles meet in person and online. If you are looking for one, search for the name of your city together with "Epicurean" or "Garden", and read a group's aims before joining.

Hold a supper

The Twentieth is a simple custom you can keep without any special knowledge. Ancient Epicureans met on the twentieth of each month. You can hold yours on that day or on the nearest weekend.

1. Invite a few. Two to six people is plenty. Include someone you would like to know better.
2. Keep the food plain. Bread, cheese, olives, fruit and something to drink. Choose a little more care with ingredients, not more dishes.
3. Put phones away. Attention is the main thing you are offering your guests.
4. Begin with a saying. Read one Principal Doctrine aloud and let the conversation follow. The Principal Doctrines page has all forty.
5. Remember someone. Ancient suppers honoured Epicurus. You might raise a glass to a friend, or to a person who taught you something.
6. End while it is still pleasant. Two or three hours is long enough.

Questions that work well at the table: What did you want this week that you did not need? Which small pleasure did you notice? What are you afraid of that may not be worth the fear?

Start a reading group

A group of three or four can work through the central texts in about six meetings. This order suits a first-time group:

1. The Letter to Menoeceus, about two pages.
2. The Principal Doctrines, in two sittings.
3. Lucretius, Book III, on death.
4. Lucretius, Book I, on atoms and void.
5. Diogenes of Oenoanda, the wall inscription, in extracts.
6. A modern book chosen from the reading list.

Take turns reading a short passage aloud, then ask what the passage claims, whether you agree, and whether you could act on it this week. The journal on this site is a good place to keep notes between meetings.