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kromem t1_ivw4z2j wrote

It is wild that Christianity so successfully suppressed it when in the first few centuries there were Christian sects that were interpreting the parable of the sower and mustard seed in terms of Lucretius's "seeds of things" while following a work dedicated to the discussion of an afterlife in the context of bodies with souls that depend on bodies (Gospel of Thomas).

It's like an entire branch of thought from antiquity was snipped away. The roots are still there, but no one is watering it and have collectively forgotten what's right below the surface, despite now independently confirming many of the ideas being entertained were wheat and not weeds after all.

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betajool t1_ivo1p3v wrote

Isn’t it called Western culture?

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IPAinhand t1_iwkgtd7 wrote

Epicurean lives, properly understood, are full of good experiences, yet Epicurus, the founder of the school, did not mandate the pursuit of pleasure. Instead, he advised that one do the opposite. Consider some of his lines:

He who is not satisfied with a little, is satisfied with nothing.

Self-sufficiency is the greatest of all wealth.

To live well, one should live a moderate life without demanding desires. Nothing in excess. A life that leads to ataraxia (tranquility) is a good one according to the Epicureans. What we may call a wantonly hedonistic life is not the Epicurean one, properly understood.

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