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Introduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 September 2009

James Warren
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
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Summary

“Philosophy, as long as a drop of blood shall pulse in its world-subduing and absolutely free heart, will never grow tired of answering its adversaries with the cry of Epicurus: 'The truly impious man is not he who denies the gods worshipped by the multitude, but he who affirms of the gods what the multitude believes about them'.” Karl Marx, Foreword to his 1841 Doctoral dissertation / “As you say of yourself, I TOO AM AN EPICUREAN. I consider the genuine (not the imputed) doctrines of Epicurus as containing everything rational in moral philosophy which Greece and Rome have left us.” Thomas Jefferson, Letter to William Short, 31 October 1819 / “In addition to removing all hope of help and favours from the gods, as we said, Epicurus blinds the part of our understanding that loves learning and the part of our practical reason that loves honour. He packs them tightly into a narrow vessel and removes any pure pleasure from body and soul. He degrades our nature, as if there were no greater good than the avoidance of evil.” Plutarch, Non posse 1107C

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2009

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  • Introduction
  • Edited by James Warren, University of Cambridge
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to Epicureanism
  • Online publication: 28 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CCOL9780521873475.001
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  • Introduction
  • Edited by James Warren, University of Cambridge
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to Epicureanism
  • Online publication: 28 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CCOL9780521873475.001
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Introduction
  • Edited by James Warren, University of Cambridge
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to Epicureanism
  • Online publication: 28 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CCOL9780521873475.001
Available formats
×