The Life of Pleasure

Is pleasure the secret of happiness?

The word Epicurean makes us think of "eat, drink and be merry," the playboy philosophy. But the real Epicureans, Epicurus especially, believed no such thing. Epicurus reasoned that, since the world appears to be ruled by chance and there is no way to live a life of reason in such a world, the individual should pursue pleasure. But by pleasure he did not mean luxury and gluttony, "grabbing all the gusto" (since, as the old beer commercial went, "you only go around once in life"). Instead he meant the avoidance of pain. Pain is caused mostly by unfulfilled desire, wanting things you cannot have. The wise man will try to reduce his desires and ambitions to an absolute minimum, and thereby have a chance at happiness. Let us suppose that the scientists are right-- that there is no purpose in the world, no God to reward and punish our behavior. Would it then be prudent to live a wild life of drunken pleasure, to eat exotic foods and aged wines, to spend one's nights with a rich variety of sexual partners, to indulge in expensive drugs? There are people who live such lives. Most of us can't afford it. But if we could, wouldn't that be the thing to do? Or would it be wiser to try to extinguish all desire, as Epicurus advised?

Bibliography

Epicurus: Letters, Principal Doctrines, and Vatican Sayings, Russell M. Geer translation, New York: The Liberal Arts Press, 1964.