Author: Cassius Amicus
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Peace and Safety For Your Twentieth of November! – On Doctrine 39, and “Passing By”
Peace and Safety to the Epicureans of today, no matter where you might be! For today’s memorial post, let me refer you to Doctrine 39, which has long seemed to...
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On The Organization Of Thomas Jefferson’s Summary of the Philosophy of Epicurus
At the end of his letter to William Short dated October 31, 1819, Thomas Jefferson attached the following outline of his view of the central doctrines of Epicurus. Aside from...
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It is surely time for men to think for themselves, and to throw off the authority of names [such as Plato] so artificially magnified.
From Thomas Jefferson’s letter to William Short of August 4, 1820, here is a useful reminder of the errors of the philosopher with whom Epicurus so often disagreed: [T]he superlative...
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Peace and Safety For Your Twentieth of October!
Peace and Safety to the Epicureans of today, no matter where you might be! For today’s post, here is a reminder of the reason we study philosophy, from a great...
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An Exercise in Epicurean Rules of Evidence: Authorized Doctrine 24
“The wise man does not hesitate to hold as true that which is established by the evidence within his reach, nor does he ever hold as true that which is...
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In Memory of the Great Classical Translator of Lucretius: Hugh Andrew Johnstone Munro
In preparing the last post, I came across this interesting information about the author of what is in my view the best translation of Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura. I had...
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A Useful Recent Translation of Lucretius’ “On The Nature of Things”
Until today I was unaware of a 2010 edition of On The Nature of Things produced by Ian Johnston and available at the website linked here. That site states: “Ian...
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What Would You Like Inscribed On Your Ring?
The topic of memorable rings has come to my attention today, and that reminds me to discuss another aspect of Epicureanism: the use of images of Epicurus and Epicurean inscriptions...
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Mysticism, The Gods, And the Epicurean Rules of Evidence
I was asked this weekend in a private email about the extent that Epicureanism could be thought of as having a “mystic” element. There are several citations in Norman DeWitt’s...
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Suggestions On Being “Well-Constituted”
The Inscription from Oenoanda by Diogenes, which is the focus of this excellent and highly-recommend web site, begins with two prominent references to the interesting term “well-constituted”: (1) “Having already...