How to Be an Epicurean: The Ancient Art of Living Well

by Catherine Wilson

Overview

A leading philosopher shows that if the pursuit of happiness is the question, Epicureanism is the answer
Epicureanism has a reputation problem, bringing to mind gluttons with gout or an admonition to eat, drink, and be merry. In How to Be an Epicurean, philosopher Catherine Wilson shows that Epicureanism isn't an excuse for having a good time: it's a means to live a good life. Although modern conveniences and scientific progress have significantly improved our quality of life, many of the problems faced by ancient Greeks -- love, money, family, politics -- remain with us in new forms. To overcome these obstacles, the Epicureans adopted a philosophy that promoted reason, respect for the natural world, and reverence for our fellow humans. By applying this ancient wisdom to a range of modern problems, from self-care routines and romantic entanglements to issues of public policy and social justice, Wilson shows us how we can all fill our lives with purpose and pleasure.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541672628
Publisher:	Basic Books
Publication date:	09/24/2019
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	736,746
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Catherine Wilson received her PhD in philosophy from Princeton University and has taught at universities in the US, Canada, and Europe. She has published more than 100 research papers and eight books, including A Very Short Introduction to Epicureanism and Metaethics from a First-Person Standpoint. She has two children and lives in New York City, where she is currently visiting presidential professor of philosophy at the Graduate Center at CUNY.

Table of Contents

Preface 1

Part I How the Epicurean Sees the World

1 Back to Basics 17

The Epicurean Atom

Atomism: Three Consequences

2 How Did We Get Here? 29

The Epicurean Theory of Natural Selection

Darwin's Upgrade: How Selection Causes Evolution

3 The Material Mind 43

The Mystery of Consciousness

The Evolution of Consciousness

4 The Story of Humanity 55

The State of Nature and the Rise of Civilisation

Authority and Inequality

The Lessons of the Past

Part II Living Well and Living Justly

5 Ethics and the Care of the Self 71

Pleasure and Pain

Prudence and its Limits

Hedonism and its Problems

Don't Suffer in Silence!

The Pleasure Merchants

6 Morality and Other People 95

Morality vs Prudence

Moral Truth and Moral Progress

Why Be Moral?

What's Different About Epicurean Morality?

7 Beware of Love! 109

The Epicurean Exception

The Pains and Pleasures of Love

Sexual Morality: Minimising Harm to Others

Using Your Head

8 Thinking About Death 123

The Epicurean View of Death

Death at the Right and Wrong Times

Abortion vs Infanticide

Suicide vs Euthanasia

Resisting and Accepting Mortality

Don't Count on the Afterlife

Part III Seeking Knowledge and Avoiding Error

9 What Is Real? 149

Nature and Convention

Things in Between

Human Rights: Natural or Conventional?

The Imaginary: Unthings

The Reality of the Past

10 What Can We Know? 169

The Importance of First-Person Experience

Resolving Disagreement

Is Empiricism True?

Part IV The Self in a Complex World

11 Science and Scepticism 187

Scientific Explanation

Can We Trust the Scientists?

Living with Uncertainty

12 Social Justice for an Epicurean World 205

Three Epicurean Philosophers on War, Inequality and Work

Epicurean Political Principles

Justice for Women: Nature, History and Convention

13 Religion From an Epicurean Perspective 225

Belief in the Imaginary

Piety Without Superstition

Can Religion Be Immoral?

Can a Religious Person Be an Epicurean?

14 The Meaningful Life 243

Two Conceptions of the Meaningful Life

Meaningfulness for the Individual

The Problem of Affluence

The Philosophical Perspective

15 Should I Be a Stoic Instead? 261

The Stoic System

Too Much Fortitude?

Wrapping Up

Bibliography and Suggestions for Further Reading 273

Acknowledgements 295

Editorial Reviews

07/08/2019

In this excellent debut, Wilson, a philosopher and visiting professor at CUNY Graduate Center, debunks claims about Epicureanism’s hedonistic nature, arguing instead that the ancient Greek philosophy offers an effective structure for living a fulfilled life. Mining the few remaining writings of Epicurus from the third century BCE, as well as the work of his first-century BCE follower Lucretius, Wilson explains how Epicureanism is an inherently optimistic, positive philosophy that encourages adherents to think in terms of living well as an individual and as part of society. Starting from the basics, Wilson describes the Epicurean vision of creation (all things are made up of either “bodies” or “void”), considers the values of pleasure and pain, expounds on the nature of love, and explains why death shouldn’t be feared—at least not by Epicureans. With prudence, reason, and free choice forming the basis of the philosophy, Wilson argues that Epicureanism is, in fact, surprisingly modern. In a final section—titled “Should I Be a Stoic Instead?”—Wilson compares Epicureanism to other early Greek philosophies, differentiating Epicureanism by stressing its basis positivism. General readers interested in how the ancient Greeks viewed the good life will take great pleasure in Wilson’s entertaining guide to Epicureanism for modern times. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"An excellent debut... General readers interested in how the ancient Greeks viewed the good life will take great pleasure in Wilson's entertaining guide to Epicureanism for modern times."
—Publishers Weekly

"Wilson] guides readers through what can seem a very contemporary philosophy valuing rational thought, physical evidence, non-self-interested justice, and human free will.... This is a valuable introduction to a very influential philosophy."—Booklist

"A universe made only of atoms and empty space? No life after death? Carefree gods indifferent to mortals? Freedom from anxiety the highest good? These were basic themes in ancient Epicureanism, and Catherine Wilson shows eloquently how this ancient and most humane philosophy, when creatively interpreted and applied, can help us to live well in the world today. Even if this book does not make an Epicurean of you, it will teach you to appreciate and admire Epicurus's wisdom and his relevance for our times."—David Konstan, professor of classics, New York University

"So glad to see our Epicurean cousins back in the game! This is a new golden age of practical philosophy!"—MassimoPigliucci, author of How to Be a Stoic

"Catherine Wilson's book achieves something rare intellectually, the steep task its author explicitly sets for herself: it carves out an accessible explication of an idea, Epicureanism, to give readers more genuine, immediate agency over their lives. But this isn't a book for Epicureans, or only for Epicureans. It's a book for anyone who wants to use careful thought to make better considered, happier choices."—MatthewWolfson, journalist

"intelligent and readable"—The Economist

A spirited tour and defense of Epicurean philosophy . . .—City Journal

Wilson's command of her subject is unquestioned... All in all, she is an admirable guide along the Epicurean path.—The Post and Courier

From the Publisher

Narrator Ana Clements lends a straightforward tone to this discussion of Epicureanism and how it can improve our lives. Author Catherine Wilson provides a detailed examination of this philosophy, developed by Epicurus, a Greek from the third century BCE. Clements’s narration illuminates Wilson’s explanation of how Epicureanism encourages living a meaningful life that is respectful of ourselves and our community. She also examines how the philosophy can provide strategies to tackle contemporary problems such as wide economic disparity, anxiety and sociopolitical strife. Although the clarity of Clements’s delivery is excellent, her tone can come across as severe, especially during in-depth discussion. Overall, this is a sometimes-dry delivery of practical and philosophical ideas. M.F. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2019 - AudioFile

Narrator Ana Clements lends a straightforward tone to this discussion of Epicureanism and how it can improve our lives. Author Catherine Wilson provides a detailed examination of this philosophy, developed by Epicurus, a Greek from the third century BCE. Clements’s narration illuminates Wilson’s explanation of how Epicureanism encourages living a meaningful life that is respectful of ourselves and our community. She also examines how the philosophy can provide strategies to tackle contemporary problems such as wide economic disparity, anxiety and sociopolitical strife. Although the clarity of Clements’s delivery is excellent, her tone can come across as severe, especially during in-depth discussion. Overall, this is a sometimes-dry delivery of practical and philosophical ideas. M.F. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2019 - AudioFile

2019-06-30
How an ancient art of living well is no less applicable—and broadly beneficial—today.

Wilson (Epicureanism: A Very Short Introduction, 2016, etc.), British-born visiting professor of philosophy at the CUNY Graduate Center, explores the ideas of Greek philosopher Epicurus, whose writings have come to us largely through the verse of his Roman follower Lucretius. A fundamentally optimistic philosophy, one of the five major schools of thought of the ancient Greek and Roman world, Epicureanism concerns living well and justly, and it was unique for the time in opening its doors to women. But as Wilson shows, the emphasis on pleasure is largely misunderstood. Far from the hedonism with which Epicurus' philosophy is mistakenly associated, and which diminishes a far more comprehensive body of thought, it is his concept of a life of virtue and inquiry that serves as a foundation. After explaining how Epicurus viewed the world, the author applies her concept of the modern Epicurean philosopher to suggest the most constructive approaches to bring to complex sociopolitical problems of our day. Both her assessments of the issues and arguments against contemporary foolhardiness are, in the main, unassailable. However, there is also a large helping of wishful thinking concerning remedies and a decidedly left-leaning scaffolding. Such analyses harbor both strengths and weaknesses. Some statements are much too sweeping, and some assertions are surprisingly oversimplified. Wilson contrasts Epicurean philosophy with its traditional rival, Stoicism, and finds areas of accord as well as divergence. But she contends that ethical and political values are grounded in particular ways of seeing the world, and Epicureanism seems at once to be the most appealing and (ultimately) responsible of precepts. She is a proponent of Epicureanism but not to the extent of ignoring its shortcomings and seeming contradictions.

Wilson's writing style varies from lively and lucid to pedestrian, but her intelligence and command of her subject are compelling.

Kirkus Reviews