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[[File:Px-Epikouros BM 1843.jpg|thumbnail|275px|left|Figure 1. Bust of Epicurus.]]
Epicurus is often associated as with one of the Greek philosophers interested in pleasure or its pursuit than other ideals. While this led to a negative view of his philosophy, the reality is his thinking was very advanced and developed, leading to his ideas becoming highly influential in modern thought in many regions of the world today.
He was one of the first Greek philosophers to develop a strong tradition that avoids superstition as a core ideal. His simple philosophy of avoiding pain, leading a simple life, and attaining knowledge has made his philosophy both attractive and influential to many.
Relatively few works were written by Epicurus (Figure 1) still survive, as most of what we knew derives from later writings from his followers and his philosophical school that he started. We know that Epicureanism began as a philosophy at around 307/306 BCE.
Like so many other philosophers, he established himself at in Athens, although he was from Samos.<ref>For more on Epicurus and his established school, see: Hibler, Richard W. 1984. Happiness through Tranquillity: The School of Epicurus. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.</ref> He was influenced by Democritus's teaching, and he studied under Nausiphanes of Teos but had a later falling out as he pursued his own new school of thought.
In fact, Epicurus's main problem with other philosophers was that they were too narrow in their beliefs. Their schools did not allow freedom of expression or questioning of the main philosopher teachers. Epicurus' strong ego, in essence, led to rifts with other schools of thought, forcing him to create his own school. However, this ultimately gave him the freedom to develop his ideas, which emerged over many years and likely evolved before coming to a mature state.<ref>For more on how Epicurus' philosophy evolved, see: DeWitt, Norman Wentworth. 1954. Epicurus and His Philosophy. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, pg. 27.</ref>
Because Epicurus' ideas have been misunderstood, it is important to delineate the key ideas he developed and what he intended by them. His core ideas can be described as atomistic materialism, which held that all things are made up of atoms. That voids separated these atoms.<ref>For more on atomistic materialism, see: O’Connor, Daniel John. 1964. A Critical History of Western Philosophy. New York etc., London: The Free press etc. , Collier Macmillan, pg. 127. </ref>. Atoms themselves are made up of a few basic types, which can be combined to make all things present in the universe. Because gods do not control pain or pleasure, and that they are likely unable to or uninterested in causing pain or pleasure to people, one should, therefore, pursue pleasure as a key goal in life.
The Epicureans believed in the gods' existence but did not see them as central to living or being happy, which made them different from many other philosophers. However, Epicurus's danger is that this pursuit can lead to indulgence that then leads back to pain. While satisfying oneself may seem harmless enough, it's its pursuit could become an obsession that leads to pain. Therefore, moderation is key so that one does not become overzealous, or essentially addicted, to the pursuit of pleasure where they cannot function and pursue a balanced life.
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====Conclusion====
Epicurus has been a misunderstood philosopher, yet his influence has been profound, and can be considered one of the founders of modern philosophy. His ideas continue to influence our world, and then the longevity of his thinking shows that it held influence through many major shifts in history. In many respects, Epicurus was ahead of his time, as he understood life composed of basic building blocks that can be reconfigured to make different things. This, to some extent, is true, while his philosophy of avoiding harmful things and pursue simple pursuits that give pleasure, such as friendship, are sensible, and many would likely agree with these ideas. <youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg_47J6sy3A</youtube>
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