In the ancient Greek world, where the belief that the will of the gods determined the fate of the universe and humans was widespread, Epicurus emphasized that the gods did not intervene in human affairs and that humans could understand the laws of nature and pursue happiness through free will. He argued that the soul is as perishable as the body, eliminating the fear of death, and presented a philosophy that promoted mental tranquility and autonomous living through a hedonistic ethic.
The people of the ancient Greek world had a deterministic worldview, believing that the universe was run by the gods, and they were afraid of the gods and of natural disasters and celestial phenomena that they thought were caused by the gods. The Greeks interpreted natural phenomena such as solar and lunar eclipses, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions as the wrath of the gods, and performed various rituals to appease them. These beliefs and rituals also had a strong influence on everyday life, forcing people to behave according to religious norms.
Epicurus saw it as important to free his contemporaries from these false beliefs, and to do so, he developed his ideas based on natural science to help humans achieve happiness. He realized that natural phenomena occurred according to natural laws, not the will of the gods, and sought to free people from superstition and allow them to think freely.
Epicurus acknowledges the existence of God but believes that the way God exists is different from what humans think, and advocates a deistic view that God lives in the intermediate world between universes and does not intervene in human affairs. As an immortal being, he says, the gods are in a state of supreme happiness, inflicting no pain on anything else, and are free from all suffering, as well as from things like anger and favor. Thus, Epicurus sees the human world as not determined by the gods, and human happiness is achieved by humans themselves, as autonomous beings. This view challenged the religious beliefs of the time and gave people a new sense of spiritual liberation.
Epicurus, on the other hand, believes that the human soul, like the body, is composed of microscopic particles. The soul is created and interacts with the body, and when the body is injured, the soul suffers. Furthermore, when the body dies, the soul dies with it, and since humans are not judged by the gods after death, humans have nothing to fear while alive because they think there is a judgment after death. This idea is the basis for freeing humans from all fear of death. Epicurus used this to emphasize to people that they should escape the fear of death and live life to the fullest in the present.
Epicurean naturalism allows for a non-deterministic understanding of the universe and our world. This is evident in Epicurus’ explanation of the behavior of atoms: He sees them as deviating from the law of vertical falling motion, falling at an angle, colliding, and bouncing around. Since the universe is made up of these atoms, the universe is also a product of chance. Therefore, there is no divine involvement in the universe and the human world, and no divine providence to be found in human life. Epicurus uses this idea as the basis for free will, which allows humans to live their lives without being bound by inevitability.
From this foundation, Epicurus develops an ethics that identifies the fundamentals of free life and leads to happiness, the ultimate goal of life. In the end, he frees humans from the fear of divine intervention, the inevitability of the universe, and the fear of an afterlife, paving the way for them to live their lives autonomously and in control. His hedonistic ethics provided a way to pursue the realization of happiness in a state of soul stability. This did not simply mean physical pleasure, but also mental tranquility and the absence of pain. Epicurus’ ideas have had a profound impact on modern times and continue to guide many people in their lives.
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