What was the relationship between epicureanism and stoicism

In the passage below from the book Letters from a Stoic , Seneca, a Stoic who appreciated the philosophy of Epicureanism, noted the main difference between his Stoic school and the school of Epicurus. Man is miserable, thought Epicurus the founder of Epicureanism because he desires things that he need not desire.

The Epicurean sage, or one who has attained the ideal which Epicureanism sets forth, is one who, given that his basic needs are met shelter, food, etc.

Stoic philosophers, in contrast to Epicureans, believed that there are many things outside of our control in life, and therefore many things which could befall us and make our lives very difficult. Sickness, loss, poverty, death and other tragedies which commonly befall human beings are things which in general we have little control over. Should the goddess Fortuna the Roman goddess of luck or fortune decide that a terrible ill must come upon us, in many cases there is little we can do except wait and hope the terrible storm will soon pass, and not wipe us away for eternity.

And to settle an important point early on, Epicureanism did not advocate for excessive self-indulgence the way we may think they did. Just as the Stoics were not unfeeling and reject emotions.

One starting point, which might surprise many, is that it is worth noting just how much the Stoics borrowed from the opposing and rival philosophical school. While the Stoic philosopher Seneca did offer a critique of Epicurus in his Letters from a Stoic , it would be unfair not to mention the numerous times he positively quoted him. In one letter, he writes,. This was of course a question he had foreseen:. But why should you think of them as belonging to Epicurus and not as common property?

He was looking for wisdom, period. This is something that a lot of fundamentalists— in religion, philosophy, anything— seem to miss. Who cares whether some bit of wisdom is from a Stoic or an Epicurean, who cares whether it perfectly jibes with Stoicism?

What matters is whether it makes your life better, whether it makes you better. Epictetus for his part, one of the other three major Stoic philosophers, does not borrow from Epicurus. For Epicureans , virtue was a means to an end, that is, pleasure, whereas for Stoics it was their guiding principle and the foundation of their way of life. As the Stoic philosopher Seneca said,. As you can probably conclude, although the ways that both philosophies recommend we live are very similar, they ultimately point us towards differing ideals.

They both offer ways to avoid pain in life; in Epicureanism by living very simply and having strong friendships, and in Stoicism by fully accepting the course of nature.

All that happens is rational, in accordance with Nature's designs. Total involvement of 'Necessity' and human activity. The Universe is the result of random combinations of atoms into four elements, and elements into existing matter. The Universe will end when one element earth, air, fire, water totally dominates.

Mechanical movements, with rational explanations of accidental combinations of things. Religion is the ignorant expression of fears of humans, and thus is irrational. The divine plan for the universe is rational and can be known. If consumerism were not accompanied by environmental destruction, global inequality and unjust labour practices, it would be hard to find much wrong with it.

Rightly understood, philosophical Epicureanism is a politically and personally powerful world-view that belies its caricatures. Its key elements are an unflinching refusal to believe that spiritual entities designed, created or control the world combined with the conviction that death and irreversible decomposition into material atoms is the end for each living being.

Epicureans contend that mortality has to be faced without futile struggles, protests or wails of tragedy. Meanwhile, the joy, not only of the philosopher, but of all of us, is to be found in experience, including the experience of coming to understand how nature and society actually work.

Death puts an end to these pleasures, but, as the Epicureans were fond of pointing out, we will not be around to experience the deprivation.

Epicurus made it clear from the start that he did not advocate the direct pursuit of personal pleasure in the forms of gluttony, indiscriminate sex or overconsumption of intoxicating substances.

This was foolish, as it ultimately produces pain. Epicurean ethics reduces to a few simple principles: avoid harming others and live so that others have no motive to harm you.

Form agreements with them for mutual aid and protection. The greatest good for a human being, Epicurus thought, is friendship — pleasure in the presence of another individual, and the security of knowing that help will be given if ever it is needed.