AH -p.76
1. Mechanistic materialists think they can dispense with what, suffering nothing but what? 39
2. To what glaring defect did Epicureans direct their criticism of popular Greek religion? 45
3. What other aspect of popular religion than that mentioned above troubles many observers? 51
4. How can we quell irrational "darkling terror," according to Lucretius? 56
5. Please add yours
DQ
- Is atheism more respectable now, especially among college students, than it used to be?
- Some studies indicate a correlation between happiness and religion, but the Epicureans (and other thinkers like Bertrand Russell, for instance) insist that belief in a punitive afterlife is one of the world's great and gratuitous sources of unhappiness. Can both be right?
- Should Epicureanism be viewed as a secular religion, spiritual therapy, both, neither? (see below*)
- COMMENT: "The ethical effects of religion seem to be nil in the majority of cases." 51
- Do you share the Epicurean conception of the good life? 62
- Do you think justice is more like a Platonic form or a social contract? 66
- Please add yours
==
Th 24 AH -p.134.
1. Epicurus's prose style is worse even than whose? 78
2. Diogenes Laertius says Epicurus's critics are what? 82
3. What kinds of pains are worse, for Epicurus, and why? 90
4. Soul bears the closest resemblance to what?
5. Please add yours
DQ
- Who is your favorite philosophical writer? Your least favorite? How does Epicurus compare to them?
- Would you be okay with any of the reported criticisms of Epicurus? (That is, would you still like his philosophy, if you do, even if they were accurate?)
- What kinds of pains do you find most reprehensible to think about? Would they be less painful if you didn't think about them?
- Which is wore, mild chronic pain or acute temporary pain?
- What does "soul" mean to you? Are you a dualist?
- Add yours please
==
*
Guy walks into a therapy session...
Psychological counselor and novelist Irv Yalom is a big fan of Epicurus, as recounted in his book Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death. He's also very good on Nietzsche (he wrote When Nietzsche Wept, which is also a film) and Schopenhauer (The Schopenhauer Cure).
QQs for Art of Happiness (p.39-76):
ReplyDelete1.For Epicureans, the gods were "paragons of the good life" because they exemplified what Epicurean ideals? (p.39-40)
2.What was Voltaire's 'malicious remark' about God? (p.40)
3. According to Lucretius, what is "the mark of the free mind?" (p.52)
QQ: What one function do the gods perform for the Epicureans? 39
ReplyDeleteThe ethical teaching of Epicurus that the moral good is pleasure and the moral evil is pain is known as what? 58
What did pleasure mean to Epicurus? 61
QQ
ReplyDelete1. Epicurus and Lucretius both agreed that spiritual ills of men are caused by what unnatural values? (54)
2. Lucretius wrote more than four hundred lines and more than five arguments to show what? (57)
3. Epicurus regarded pleasure as what? (61)
QQ:
ReplyDelete1. What 'religion' did Epicurus propose? Pg 43
2. Who said "God is the noblest work of man"? Pg 41
3. What did the good life include for an Epicurean? Pg 62
DQ: Which is worse, temporary acute pain or mild chronic pain?
ReplyDeletePersonally I think this question comes down to semantics and subjective experience. The suffering of the acute pain would seem to have more intensity and could be considered "worse", but the temporal aspect and longevity of the mild chronic pain would mean that you're suffering longer. It may hurt less than the acute pain, but I think the fact that you're suffering for a longer amount of time makes the mild chronic pain worse.
On the other hand, a mild chronic pain sufferer with a Stoic bent can learn to adapt and function almost normally. Temporary acute pain temporarily disables a person, so it's a question then of frequency: if the acute pain recurs often, there's no practical way to adapt and function normally. (Speaking from experience.)
DeleteDQ: Can it be both true that religion positively correlates with happiness and can be a great source of unhappiness?
ReplyDeleteI think that yes, they both can be true. I don't believe there is an objective conclusion on whether religion makes people happy or if it causes people to suffer. I know people personally that get great joy and purpose from participating and subscribing to a religion, but I also know people that view religion as a great source of unhappiness and view their lives negatively when associated with certain religious beliefs. I think it comes down to finding out what works best for you, and in my opinion, both are viable options.
Clearly some religious people are happier due to their beliefs and practice, others not. I wonder, though, if one and the same person can experience both happiness and misery due to their religious identity? Happy when congregating festivally with co-religionists, for instance, and unhappy when contemplating the possibility of punishment in an afterlife, or when sitting through a dull church service, or when renouncing certain pleasures in the name of piety. I imagine so.
DeleteQQ's:
ReplyDelete1. Describe the gods of classical Greek religion. (40)
2. What did religion mean to Victorian materialists? (48)
3. The Epicurean argument for moral freedom follows what pattern? (69)
DQ:Do you share the Epicurean conception of the good life? 62
ReplyDeleteI personally don't share the epicurean concept of the good life seeing as I do not like the idea of detaching myself from my goals because one of the principles that can lead to happiness is setting a challenging yet attainable goal and then achieving it.
I agree with you. I find the Epicureans to be a little to detached from the affairs around them. To have a good life, I feel the need to have goals and the ability to feel some pain with the failure that comes with those goals. Also, I find the notion of stepping out of political and community affairs to be slightly irresponsible. Yes, political affairs can be painful and stressful, but to completely step away from them seems to be giving up without even trying.
DeleteBut if your goal as an epicurean is to stop worrying and enjoy the life of friendship, conversation, reflection, and simple pleasures, what's the problem? Or by detached do you mean disengaged from civic life, politics, current affairs etc.? If so, that's a potential objection... but there's nothing preventing an epicurean from incorporating a degree of such engagement into the epicurean lifestyle. I'm not sure I see the epicureans as any more liable to this objection than the stoics, who may be even more disengaged... AND detached from aspects of their own affective humanity in some cases.
DeleteQQ: Do the Epicureans believe that gods exist? p.39
ReplyDeleteDQ: Should Epicureanism be viewed as a secular religion, spiritual therapy, both, neither?
I think that to view epicureanism as a form of religion seems a bit much to me; however, I would not be opposed to viewing it more as a different way of looking at the world. Almost like a different perspective to take on.
Depends on your definition of religion. Wm James called it "the experiences of human individuals insofar as they see themselves related to whatever they regard as divine." Of course, that dfn allows for the Church of Baseball. (Which I'm fine with, personally!)
DeleteQQ:
ReplyDelete1. To Epicurus, what is the meaning of pleasure? (61)
2. What is the consequence of "old-time religion"? (43)
3. What are the crippling liabilities one most free themselves of? (57)
For Epicurus, what forms the most reliable basis for our beliefs? 103
ReplyDeleteEpicurus was not an enemy of all religion, only what? 129
For Epicurus, hell is what? 132
1. According to Epicureans, _____ and _____ are imagistic. (116)
ReplyDelete2. What does animus and anima mean? (118)
3. Lucretius advances the materialistic argument to a point that _________? (121)
1. Who taught that bodily pains were far worse than mental? (90)
ReplyDelete2. What assets that there are bodies? (93)
3. What plays the most important role in causing sensation? (103)
DQ:
Epicurus suggests that one should allow the sciences to come to the conclusion about the celestial. Should we leave it up to the sciences to come to a conclusion about the divine? Why or why not? (109-110)
We should all come to our own conclusions, but we should also heed the findings of science with regard to physical reality and to social science and psychology with regard to the motives and causes that impel some individuals to embrace religion. In the end, though, as Wm James said, nothing in the universe has finally concluded... so it's too soon to draw final conclusions.
DeleteRegarding the question leaving the conclusion of the celestial to the sciences, I agree with James that we cannot make definitive conclusions. The scientific method is a powerful tool, but it is not omniscient. The scientific method proves/disproves a hypothesis based on observations that are testable with observable and repeatable experiments. Those limitations severely handicap the ability for science to definitively rule on the issue of the celestial.
DeleteQQ for pages 77-134
ReplyDelete1: Who said "the property of friends is common property"? Pg 83
2: What are the three parts of Epicurus's philosophy? Pg 84
3: What is a guarantee of the truth of our sensations? Pg 85
4: What does courage arise from? Pg 89
5: For Lucretius, what is the soul composed of? Pg 118
6: What was Epicurus an enemy of? Pg 129
DQ: Which is wore, mild chronic pain or acute temporary pain?
ReplyDeleteI would much rather experience acute temporary pain because it would be over quick whereas mild chronic pain would almost become more annoying than painful.
DQ: What does "soul" mean to you? Are you a dualist?
ReplyDeleteThe "soul" to me is more of a person's meta physical being. This being said, I am not a dualist as I believe that the mind and body are very much intertwined with one another.
I wouldn’t call myself a duelist (or the antithesis), I personally believe in a middle ground. The body and soul are distinct, but inseparable.
DeleteQQ: Epicurus believes that there are infinite _______. p.95
ReplyDeleteQQ:
ReplyDelete1. A translator of Lucretius should be what? (79)
2. What must be kept in line in order to interpret the Letter to Herodotus? (92)
3. Why is it nonsense for those to maintain that the soul is incorporeal?
4. Should should we not regard the courses and revolutions of the heavenly bodies as (109)
DQ: Which is worse, mild chronic pain or acute temporary pain?
While acute temporary pain can ruin your plans for that day, is is not hard to witness the anguish of those with chronic pain at any level. The pain, no matter how mild, wears a person down day after day and it often creates more problems like additional injuries or mental illness. Most people get accustomed to their pain but the needle never dulls.
DQ: Is atheism more respectable now, especially among college students, than it used to be?
ReplyDeleteRegardless of if it's more respectable, it definitely more prevalent: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-number-of-americans-with-no-religious-affiliation-is-rising/