Could Epicurus save us?

A philosophy of pleasure could cure our modern ills

Rome During the Decadence, Thomas Couture, 1847. Epicureanism for a long time had a reputation as a philosophy that encouraged reckless and immoral hedonism. Epicurus was a hedonist, but encouraged the pursuit of a natural state of pleasure that comes when we free ourselves of desire. His philosophy was very popular throughout the Roman Empire. (Image source: Wikipedia)

For over a hundred years archaeologists have been reconstructing, piece by piece, a message of hope from the ancient past.

The message is estimated to comprise of 25,000 words inscribed in 260 square meters of stone. That stone crumbled and was scattered about the ruined site of the ancient Greek-speaking hilltop city of Oinoanda near the south-western coast of modern Turkey.

The author of the message was a man named Diogenes, who in old age commissioned the inscription for the city’s portico wall as a gift for fellow citizens, foreign visitors and future generations. He wrote,

“I wanted, before being taken by death, to compose a fine anthem to celebrate the fullness of pleasure and so help those who are well constituted.”

Diogenes wanted to cure a “common disease, like a plague” which gave people a “false notion about things.” The plague he describes is, in a word, desire.

Diogenes’ wall text is a comprehensive explanation of the philosophy of Epicureanism.

Archaeologists are still painstakingly piecing together the inscription from among the remains of the ancient city. Only about a quarter has been assembled so far.