“Philosophy is the practice of death” – Plato
Philosophy, as most people understand it concerns one thing: how a person lives. In philosophy, it is called ethics.
Ethics in Philosophy and How to Live
The two schools of thoughts, Epicureanism and Stoicism, are both schools of thoughts in ethics. However, they both vouched for different views of life – views that differ from each other so much that one can say they are both rivals.
How to Live Better with Epicureanism
Epicureanism was started by Epicurus (surprise) in the very early days of Greece. Epicureanism is most famous for being the proponent of hedonism, which enjoyment of pleasure takes the utmost importance. But that is a wrong view of Epicureanism and a grossly oversimplification of hedonism in general.
For Epicurus, the goal of a person’s life is happiness, and happiness consists of the absence of pain.
Here we need to explain what is the definition of pain in Epicureanism. For Epicurus, pain includes both physical pain and mental troubles. Physical pain can be easily understood – no one wants to be hit by another out of malice, or suffering from illness that hurts the body.
Mental troubles require some further explanation.
One of the primary mental troubles for everyone is the fear of death. We are all scared of dying. Sometimes, in the middle of night, when we think about our finite lifespan, we are gripped by this irrational fear that resembles an actual grip on our heart. This in turn generates a huge source of anxiety in our lives, thinking about things such as: “What happens after I die?” “Does my life matter?” “How do I make the most out of my life?”
Additionally, Epicurus also includes mental troubles we experience as a result of our growth. One such example would be claustrophobia. It is a result of events that happened out of our control, and we develop a fear of narrow spaces. Epicurus seeks to eliminate such troubles as well, either via self meditation or in modern terms, therapy. The goal is to eliminate all these pains from ourselves so as to pursue happiness without any restrictions.
So it is not hard to see why Epicurus considers the free from pain the best way to achieve happiness. Or in latin terms, eudaimonia (which meant happiness in general, or the flourishing of humanity). Free from both physical and mental pain, we are free to pursue what we truly love, and enjoy the unburdened state of happiness.
Pursue Your Desires, Avoid Pain
But how should we pursue this happiness?
Putting it simply: pursue your desires. These desires have many forms, such as the desire to be healthy, the desire to eat good food or the desire to be wealthy.
Some desires are considered more necessary than the other, but for our current purpose it suffices. The important part is this: by pursuing these desires, it is of importance that we lessen the pain we experience.
Happiness, in Epicureanism, is the lack of pain. This is why descending into a drug-fueled frenzy is not the proper pursuit of happiness – for it brings about many painful after effects.
Additionally, Epicurus touted friendship as one of the most necessary aspects of a person’s happiness. As humans are social animals, it is imperative that we form social bonds with one another. Through the formation of friendship can true happiness be found, as we enjoy the company and assistance of one another.
How to Live Better with Stoicism
Stoicism, as the name implies, presents a stoic way of life to its audience. For a Stoic, happiness is “living in accordance with nature”. While this sentence alone has spawned hundreds of thesis, for our sake we can understand it as possessing that which is genuinely good.
So what is that which is genuinely good?
For the Stoics, that is virtue. The virtue of wisdom, of logos, of being courageous and being true to justice. Everything else is unnecessary. Taken to the extreme, it can be said that a person can live in extreme poverty, experience starvation and be hated by everyone – but as long as the person is virtuous, he is happy.
Why would the Stoics say this?
In the material philosophy of Stoicism, the world is deterministic. What this meant is that everything that is bound to happen, will happen. If you are bound to be poor, then it is destined that you will remain poor. The only thing you possess control is your inner state of mind.
If so, why not lash out against the world?
Because virtues are necessary for a person’s well being. Let’s say you are destined to be imprisoned for life. You can hate the person for putting you behind bars, or you can hate the guards caning you. But this has already been set in stone – whatever you feel, your fate does not change.
Stoicism then proposed that we practice the virtue of acceptance and happiness in your heart. Reconcile with the fact that you are imprisoned and understand that this is what the world has given you.
Then understand that you have one thing that is completely in your control: your inner mind. There, in your mind, contains all the freedom you have.
Why would you be angry at a hurricane destroying the town? It is merely nature. Similarly, why be angry at fate torturing you? It is only physical pain – external factors that are already set in stone. If you can be happy even in times of pain, then you have achieved happiness at every time.
Similarly, why do we fear death? Contrary to the Epicureans, the Stoics welcome death, for it is merely another part of the cycle. Why are you afraid of something that is going to happen? In fact, rather radically, Stoics advocates the practice of suicide: if you are already of old age and are losing your faculties, committing suicide does not sound like a bad idea. Better to die at a time of your choosing (notwithstanding the deterministic nature of the world) than let old age claim you.
(To be continued in “How Can Philosophy Help You Live: Part 2”.)