"The Epicurus Effect."
Epicurus and his stance?
"For Epicurus, the purpose of philosophy was to help people attain a happy, tranquil life characterized by
ataraxia (peace and freedom from fear) and
aponia (the absence of pain). He advocated that people were best able to pursue philosophy by living a self-sufficient life surrounded by friends. He taught that the root of all human neurosis is death denial and the tendency for human beings to assume that death will be horrific and painful, which he claimed causes unnecessary anxiety, selfish self-protective behaviors, and hypocrisy. According to Epicurus, death is the end of both the body and the soul and therefore should not be feared. Epicurus taught that although the gods exist, they have no involvement in human affairs. He taught that people should behave ethically not because the gods punish or reward people for their actions, but because amoral behavior will burden them with guilt and prevent them from attaining ataraxia."
"Though popular, Epicurean teachings were controversial from the beginning. Epicureanism reached the height of its popularity during the late years of the
Roman Republic. It died out in late antiquity, subject to hostility from
early Christianity. Throughout the
Middle Ages Epicurus was popularly, though inaccurately, remembered as a patron of drunkards, and gluttons. His teachings gradually became more widely known in the fifteenth century with the rediscovery of important texts, but his ideas did not become acceptable until the seventeenth century, when the French Catholic priest
Pierre Gassendi revived a modified version of them, which was promoted by other writers, including
Walter Charleton and
Robert Boyle. His influence grew considerably during and after the
Enlightenment, profoundly impacting the ideas of major thinkers, including
John Locke,
Thomas Jefferson,
Jeremy Bentham, and
Karl Marx."
It would appear that Epicurus, took up an issue with "God's" because it somehow ran against the grain of his individually thought up concepts of "Ataraxia and Aponia?"
It's funny, even Epicurus, who wasn't religious, developed an stance over something that had zero influences over the way this fellow, LIVED his life?
So if no God's, were telling him how to live his Greek life?
And he lived his life, as he chose to do, without any fictional Religious restraints, or fictional Religious Indoctrination practices, keeping him from engaging in the lifestyle that he created from his own non Religious mindset, or his Epicurus stance?
Thus, he didn't really have anything to complain about when it came to any God's, because, those very same God's, were in no way, shape or form keeping him from engaging in his self created Epicurus stance?
So basically he was a non Religious Greek, who was downplaying, on "God's," in general, during his heyday?
This question comes to mind:
It would appear that Epicurus voluntarily allowed the God's to (fictionally interfere) with his philosophies of "Ataraxia, or Aponia," because he developed an issue, with the God's, who weren't consciously interfering in his life to begin with?
So it seems, that the Atheist movement, and the Epicurus stance, can both be viewed in the same (fictional interference) light?
Meaning, Epicurus created a fictional beef, over those same God's who were having a non interference influence, over his very own life, and the lives of those individuals, who adopted his "Ataraxia, or Aponia," philosophies?