Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Warburton, Nigel. A Little History of Philosophy, Yale University Press, 2011. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uow/detail.action?docID=3420746.
Created from uow on 2020-02-28 13:11:02.
t h e g a r d e n pat h 23
from now. It’s instinctive. Very few people alive have never
thought deeply about this.
The Ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus (341–270 bc) argued
that fear of death was a waste of time and based on bad logic.
It was a state of mind to be overcome. If you think clearly about
it, death shouldn’t be frightening at all. Once you get your
thinking straight you’ll enjoy your time here much more – which
for Epicurus was extremely important. The point of philosophy,
he believed, was to make your life go better, to help you find
happiness. Some people believe that it is morbid to dwell on your
own death, but for Epicurus it was a way of making living more
intense.
Epicurus was born on the Greek island of Samos in the
Aegean. He spent most of his life in Athens where he became
something of a cult figure, attracting a group of students who
lived with him in a commune. The group included women and
slaves – a rare situation in Ancient Athens. This didn’t make
him popular, except with his followers who almost worshipped
him. He ran this philosophy school in a house with a garden –
and so it came to be known as The Garden.
Like many Ancient philosophers (and some modern ones,
Copyright © 2011. Yale University Press. All rights reserved.
Warburton, Nigel. A Little History of Philosophy, Yale University Press, 2011. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uow/detail.action?docID=3420746.
Created from uow on 2020-02-28 13:11:02.
24 a l i t t l e h i s t o ry o f p h i l o s o p h y
Warburton, Nigel. A Little History of Philosophy, Yale University Press, 2011. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uow/detail.action?docID=3420746.
Created from uow on 2020-02-28 13:11:02.
t h e g a r d e n pat h 25
Warburton, Nigel. A Little History of Philosophy, Yale University Press, 2011. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uow/detail.action?docID=3420746.
Created from uow on 2020-02-28 13:11:02.
26 a l i t t l e h i s t o ry o f p h i l o s o p h y
didn’t exist? But then, if that’s true, why should we care so much
about all those aeons of non-existence after death? Our thought
is asymmetrical. We’re very biased towards worrying about the
time after our death rather than the time before our birth. But
Epicurus thought this was a mistake. Once you see this, you
should start thinking of the time after your death in the same
sort of way that you do the time before it. Then it won’t be a big
concern.
Some people get very worried that they might end up being
punished in an afterlife. Epicurus dismissed that worry too. The
gods aren’t really interested in their creation, he confidently told
Warburton, Nigel. A Little History of Philosophy, Yale University Press, 2011. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uow/detail.action?docID=3420746.
Created from uow on 2020-02-28 13:11:02.
t h e g a r d e n pat h 27
his followers. They exist apart from us, and don’t get involved
with the world. So you should be all right. That’s the cure – the
combination of these arguments. If it works, you should feel
much more relaxed about your future non-existence now.
Epicurus summed up his whole philosophy in his epitaph:
Warburton, Nigel. A Little History of Philosophy, Yale University Press, 2011. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uow/detail.action?docID=3420746.
Created from uow on 2020-02-28 13:11:02.