***THIS WEEK IN EPICUREAN PHILOSOPHY – 04/18/2015***

***THIS WEEK IN EPICUREAN PHILOSOPHY – 04/18/2015***

** This is the one hundred and second in a series of weekly reports on news from the world of Epicurean Philosophy. Our home base for discussion is https://www.facebook.com/groups/EpicureanPhilosophy/ Copies of these posts, and links to active Epicurean websites, are stored at EpicurusCentral.wordpress.com.

** As of tonight, our group has grown to 1650. Last week this time we were 1633. We continue to grow steadily, and we welcome all participants and lurkers. If you apply to participate and don’t receive a reply promptly, please send an email to an admin about your interest in the group. We are here to discuss Epicurean Philosophy, have fun, and in the words of Lucian, “strike a blow for Epicurus – that great man whose holiness and divinity of nature were not shams, who alone had and imparted true insight into the good, and who brought deliverance to all that consorted with him!”

** We’ve had many substantive and long posts this week. Thanks to everyone for participating. Here are some of the highlights:

**Just after the update last week, I link to a post I made based on an article by David Sedley about Brutus and Cassius (mostly Brutus) and how Brutus was not a Stoic as widely reputed, but in fact a Platonist. If you’re interested in ancient history there is a lot of good information about the philosophical situation at the time of Caesar in Sedley’s article, linked here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/EpicureanPhilosophy/permalink/814923475223281/

**Mark C. posted to a book regarding Epictetus and living happily (sort of a contradiction in terms) https://www.facebook.com/groups/EpicureanPhilosophy/permalink/815386358510326/

**Hiram linked to a new graphic he prepared on Lucretius Book 1. https://www.facebook.com/groups/EpicureanPhilosophy/permalink/815719781810317/

**Carlo P. linked to a new 3d presentation of the Tiberian Island in ancient Rome. https://www.facebook.com/groups/EpicureanPhilosophy/permalink/816048125110816/

**Hiram posted a new blog entry on Epicurus and his mother. https://www.facebook.com/groups/EpicureanPhilosophy/permalink/816154005100228/

**Hiram also posted on an interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson about life in other parts of the universe. https://www.facebook.com/groups/EpicureanPhilosophy/permalink/816112371771058/

**I linked to a new blog post on the Epicurean idea of “confident expectation” as a foundation of happiness. https://www.facebook.com/groups/EpicureanPhilosophy/permalink/815532191829076/

**I also wrote a too-wordy post on my thoughts on the future and goals of the Facebook group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/EpicureanPhilosophy/permalink/816285365087092/

**Elli P prepared an excellent graphic on “the Stoic vases.” https://www.facebook.com/groups/EpicureanPhilosophy/permalink/816532391729056/

**And Elli also posted an excellent letter from Panagiotis Papavasiliou, one of the activists with the Garden of Epicurus in Thessaloniki. https://www.facebook.com/groups/EpicureanPhilosophy/permalink/815664271815868/

**Doug B. posted a series of thought-provoking posts this week, first on a quote from Epictetus in a clearly anti-Epicurean mood (his standard mood, I gather). https://www.facebook.com/groups/EpicureanPhilosophy/permalink/817272031655092/

**Alexander R. linked to an excellent article on how wisdom is better correlated with happiness than intelligence. https://www.facebook.com/groups/EpicureanPhilosophy/permalink/816524085063220/

**Steve McCarthy contributed a link to a collection of papers by David Sedley, which I added to the files section as a document for easy access in the future. https://www.facebook.com/groups/EpicureanPhilosophy/permalink/817720598276902/

**Hiram posted a new blog entry on Taoism and an aspect of it which is clearly friendly to Epicurean views. https://www.facebook.com/groups/EpicureanPhilosophy/permalink/817727061609589/

**In a well-discussed post I linked passages from Aristotle’s Eudemian Ethics and a passage from “The Greeks on Pleasure” which help document the difference between Aristotle’s approach to the good life versus that of Epicurus. https://www.facebook.com/groups/EpicureanPhilosophy/permalink/816802731702022/

**In another post that prompted a lot of discussion, I prepared a graphic to highlight how the stoics might prefer to interpret Epicurean doctrine on the meaning of tranquillity. https://www.facebook.com/groups/EpicureanPhilosophy/permalink/815140638534898/

**Late in the week (today) I started a new thread seeking help in making a list of Epicurean doctrines that are easily misinterpreted if the reader has insufficient context. I hope to start a page of these on my blog to help in getting new readers of Epicurus started. If you have any suggestions, please make them in the thread here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/EpicureanPhilosophy/permalink/818155654900063/

**And as we neared the end of the week, Doug B started the third of several lengthy discussions with a post on an article entitled “Why kids Need Spirituality.” With a title like that you can imagine it was well-debated. https://www.facebook.com/groups/EpicureanPhilosophy/permalink/817260124989616/

**Those are most of the highlights for the week. Thanks to all who participated. We’ve had another very substantive week of discussion, and I thank everyone who participated. Feel free to post any comments in this thread. I apologize if I missed anyone or anything. As always, if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please add a comment or participate in the Epicurean Philosophy Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/EpicureanPhilosophy/ or hop around the internet world of Epicurean Philosophy by checking the links here: EpicurusCentral.wordpress.com
*
Live Well!
Cassius Amicus