Vana is the word of that philosopher who does not repair any ailment of man. For as there is no benefit in medicine that does not expel diseases from the body, neither is it in philosophy but explodes the sickness of the soul Fr. 221
Epicureism is a remarkably systematic philosophy, but its intention is clearly practical. Philosophy is not conceived as a way to boast culture but to learn to be happy.
Inspired by Democritus is clearly materialistic.
Two great principles of epicurean physics:
Nothing is born out of nothing
The Whole consists of atoms and emptiness. And it's infinite.
In this way, bodies are understood as “systems” of atoms. And since the number of atoms is infinite and the empty space is also stated that there are an equally infinite number of worlds (like ours or different) that are born and perish, although the Whole is eternal and imperishable.
Properties of atoms:
Size: variable between maximum and minimum, but always invisible and indivisible;
Figure: (schema, the number of atoms being limited) and,
Weight (property that Democritus never came to assert.
The movement of atoms in the void is not due to a supposed original whirlwind, like Democritus, but to their weight. According to Lucretius, Diógen is of Enoanda and Cicero, Epicurus also stated that atoms could spontaneously deviate from the straight line of fall, causing collisions between them. This detail allows us to infer that Epicurus departs from Democritus' determinism by giving a convenient framework to include man's freedom. However, mechanicism is present because nothing in nature happens because there is some end, the random movement of atoms is the cause of everything that happens and divine intent is not included in the constitution of the worlds .
The soul, for Epicurus is a mixture of four elements: fire, air, vital breath and a fourth unnamed element. The latter is the organ of perception; the vital murmur determines movement; air, rest and fire - the heat of the wind. Testimony of Aetius - Fr. 315
The physical theories of Epicurus have a controversial intellect and an ethical orientation since it aims to eradicate myths and superstitions so that man can live happily and without fears. He presents himself as an adversary of the popular religiosity and the astral theology of Plato. He does not see, therefore, divine character in nature, since it has not been created by the gods for the benefit of man if the gods do not intervene in natural events. Man is but a body that dissolves with death.
Epicurus despised logic and dialectics, and used canonical, which is, in fact, a theory of knowledge.
As Kant points out this philosophy can be considered a “sensualism” because it only admits as real what comes from the senses, which represents the only valid form of knowledge.
It is a form of contact between bodies that is explained by the impression of the organs of the senses through the continuous effluvia of the atoms that come from the outer bodies. It is always true and has absolute evidence. The error comes only from the judgment but can be corrected and adjusted by subsequent sensations.
It is a general image produced by the accumulation of similar sensations (it is not a concept). It is evoked through language and allows “anticipating” distant or future objects when the subject asks questions such as is a horse or a bueh that animal there? Anticipation must be confirmed by sensation so that it can be considered true.
Pleasure and pain are the body's immediate responses to sensation.
Part of our desires are natural, and another part are vain desires; among the natural ones, some are necessary and some are not; among the necessary ones, some are for happiness, others for the well-being of the bodies and others for life itself. Knowing these kinds of desires, it is possible to refer every choice to the health of the body and to the serenity of the soul, because that is the happy life. Let us always act so as not to suffer pain or sorrow, and once we have achieved it we no longer need anything else. Letter to Meneceo
For Epicurus happiness lies in the pleasures (or more precisely, the joys) of the body, provided that these are natural, moderate and serene. He also considers that the joys of the soul (such as friendship, and pleasant memories) can even be superior to the joys of the body, since these are only valid in present time, while those of the soul, endure relative to the past, exist in the present and are projected into the future.
The “wise” model proposed by Epicurus is opposed to the stoic model: man should not abstain from all pleasure without, on the contrary, enjoying moderately the natural and necessary.