The glee club

A timely guide to Epicurus, the Greek philosopher who sought happiness in a life free from anxiety

No one today would dream of practising the physics, medicine or biology of the ancient Greeks. But their thoughts on how to live remain perennially inspiring. Plato, Aristotle and the Stoics have all had their 21st-century evangelists. Now it is Epicurus’s turn, and his advocate is American philosopher Emily A Austin.

Living for Pleasure is likely to evoke feelings of deja vu. One reason why “ancient wisdom” endures is that most thinkers came to similar conclusions on certain key points. Do not be seduced by the shallow temptations of wealth or glory. Pursue what is of real value to you, not what society tells you is most important.

The more general such claims are, the easier it is to agree. But when we delve into what makes the various philosophers different, what sounds like universal good sense can seem a bit wacky.

Epicurus’s distinctive feature is his insistence that pleasure is the source of all happiness and is the only truly good thing. Hence the modern use of “epicurean” to mean gourmand. But Epicurus was no debauched hedonist. He thought the greatest pleasure was ataraxia: a state of tranquillity in which we are free from anxiety. This raises the suspicion of false advertising – freedom from anxiety may be nice, but few would say it is positively pleasurable.

Still, freedom from anxiety sounds pretty attractive. How can we get it? Mainly by satisfying the right desires and ignoring the rest. Epicurus thought desires could be natural or unnatural, and necessary or unnecessary. Our natural and necessary desires are few: healthy food, shelter, clothes, company. As long as we live in a stable, supportive community, they are easy to achieve.

We become anxious when we devote energy to pursuing what is unnatural, unnecessary or both.

Such desires are not always bad, but they should only be enjoyed if the opportunity happens to arise, not actively sought out. Sex and fine food fall into this category.

Unnatural and unnecessary desires, such as for wealth, power, fame or eternal life, are considered “corrosive”, to be avoided. They deprive us of any chance of feeling we have enough. There is always more wealth, life or power to be had and so if we want them, we can never be content.

The clarity and concision of Austin’s prose means that she covers many more of the details of Epicurean thought in her 24 short chapters. Epicurus was realistic enough to accept that external circumstances can make life intolerable, grief is natural and real, and shit happens.

He speaks to us all, but does not offer a universal prescription for the great life. Austin ultimately shows that Epicurus is a pretty good guide on the journey of life, but you should let some other thinkers show you around too.