Epicurus on Life's Meaning — Part II

I have a fear. It’s probably a fear you have, too—the fear of death.

It's a primal fear. We’re hard-wired to seek safety and survival. Fear of death is natural, and in some situations its beneficial. Yet we're no longer living in constant fear of being eaten by wild animals. As a result, the fear of death is now more detrimental than beneficial. 

You may not think about your death all the time. But it may be a background worry that occupies your sub-conscious. It may produce a general anxiety that propels you to seek your own longevity in various ways.

In his writings, Greek philosopher Epicurus (p.s. I love that “epic” is in his name) explains that fear of death robs life of its ultimate meaning. Anxiety about your death undermines happiness. And, for Epicurus, seeking personal pleasure is the highest good you can attain in life. So fear of death prevents you from living the good life.

Wisdom + Happiness

After the start of Epicurus’s letter to Menoeceus, which we discussed in Part I on his letter, Epicurus transitions to talk about the gods. Before doing that he makes an interesting remark.

Epicurus instructs Menoeceus to seek wisdom at all stages of life, and he says that the wise person, “has no fear of the things which are to come.” Wisdom helps chase away fear of death. How does it do this?

Wisdom helps the wise person chart a path toward attaining happiness and tranquility. It fills their present moment with the serenity of knowing that they have it all—they have what matters.

Without wisdom leading to happiness people are restless. Their souls have not found rest. Anxiety chases way tranquility. It leads to searching for personal fulfillment in things which do not bring lasting happiness.

In the last post, I mentioned my years of unwise living. I sought pleasure and fulfillment in things incapable of delivering it. This left me internally void. It left me spiritually empty.

To avoid such a state, Epicurus says, “we must exercise ourselves in the things which bring happiness, since, if that be present, we have everything.”

Here’s my visual take on the first part of that quote. The full quote is below the picture. For more quotes like this, follow The Philosophical Life on Instagram.

The Good Life and Belief in God

For Epicurus, attaining the good life requires you to “exercise yourself” in “the elements of right life.” One such exercise is right thinking about God (or the gods). You’re not to make a mockery of God by believing of him, as many people do, “anything that is foreign to his immorality or that is repugnant to his blessedness.”

Mistaken beliefs about the gods reduce them to petty, mortal beings. It makes sense to fear petty gods capricious in their doling out punishments in the afterlife. Most people believe things about the gods that are “truly impious” and unholy. Epicurus urges Menoeceus to not make this mistake.

Next post we’ll look at Epicurus’ argument that death is not bad for us. Until then, leave your thoughts in the comments about the questions below. And keep living The Philosophical Life!