Author: Cassius Amicus
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Caveat Emptor: Pick Your Texts and Commentaries Carefully!
The student of Epicurus would do well to remember that misrepresentations of Epicurus’ views, whether intentional or innocent, did not end with Cicero in ancient times. As DeWitt suggested, even...
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Gratitude As a Source of Strength During Times of Misfortune
If you are like me, you often hear friends say (or post to Facebook) that they “couldn’t go on if they did not have their faith in God to pull...
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Common Fallacies About Epicurus (#2): Epicurus maintained that Pleasure is the “Greatest Good”
A close reading of the evidence indicates clearly that Epicurus taught that life itself, rather than pleasure, is the “greatest good.” This issue ranks with the statement “all sensations are...
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Common Fallacies About Epicurus (#1): Epicurus maintained that all sensations are “true.”
Readers of this blog will notice the deep respect paid here to the work of Norman W. DeWitt, the late professor of classics from the University of Toronto who devoted...
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Let’s Make A List: Two Popular Songs That Illustrate Epicurean Themes
Here are two songs that may be useful to the student of Epicurus to illustrate Epicurean themes: First, on a lighter note, is this youtube video of a song from...
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Never Underestimate Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson’s letter to William Short is tremendously useful for us today to illustrate the continuing relevance of Epicurus. In just a few lines, Jefferson summarizes several of the most...
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An Exercise in Summarizing “The Nature of Things” – Book I
Readers of this blog will find it no surprise that De Rerum Natura is our favorite Epicurean treatise. As this week’s addition to the blog, what follows is an exercise...
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Famous Epicurean Epigrams
The purpose of this quick blog post is to announce the beginning of work on a new page: “Famous Epicurean Epigrams.” The first that come to mind are the shortest,...
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A Reading List For New Epicureans
One project that has been percolating in the background here at NewEpicurean.com is a reading list for new students of Epicureanism. Note: This post is very much in need of...
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First Edition of “The Evidence-Based Life: Epicurus and the Essential Nature of Things” released today, 1/1/10
Check the main page at www.NewEpicurean.com for links to the free download, or read excerpts from the ebook online!