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==Key Influences on Our World==
The impacts of the philosophy are many and, in many ways, Epicurus held many thoughts that have turned out to at least have at least some truths, despite his inability to fully observe them. For instance, his ideas that the universe is infinite are more realistic than philosophers who had a very narrow idea of where the universe and its extent lies. He also believed no truth should be accepted as given without some form of proof, an idea that is now foundational to modern science. He also believed that life must have basic building blocks, a concept of atoms that was only proven in the 19th century. A key development that Epicurus indicated in his writings is the concept of divorcing the pursuit of knowledge from religious pursuits, something that became popular by the Renascence, as thinkers from that era began to realize the importance of separating their work from religious zeal that may have hindered some advances in knowledge. A key example is Galileo’s advocacy that the Earth was not the center of the universe.
While Epicurus’ ideas in science proved to be influential to later generations and modern science, his philosophy on happiness underwent different understanding in various periods. While his teachings on happiness were often conflated with later understanding of hedonism, later thinkers began to see the practicality of his philosophy on pleasure as one that avoids pain and pursues simple pleasures and avoids indulgence.
==Conclusion==
