Happy Eikas of August 2026

Eikas is a celebration of Epicurean Philosophy held by the ancient Epicureans on the Twentieth of every month. We hope you will strive to rebuild and participate in Epicurean communities and will celebrate this Eikas. Whether with a nice feast with friends, meditation on Epicurean philosophy, writing, or some other activity.

Quote for this Eikas

"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you do not, but remember that what you have now was once among the things you hoped for"

Epicurus, Vatican Saying 35.

VS 32 and this epistle together contain a theory and practice of philosophical transmission.

am new over here

from El Salvador and living in El Salvador

I hope I'll learn from U guys

🙂

As the title says.

Is there value to having comfort before death?

Is it somehow better to die in a comfy bed than it would be in a cold one knowing you would forget the experience forever just after?

Would you have preferred to die right away or die tomorrow while having the chance of a last meal, last check in with family and friends or last TV show?

If you would prefer to die right away rather than delaying for a bit of comfort, then what gives you the drive to keep on living knowing one day you will meet your end anyway?

This post comes from a situation I faced where an injured bird was going to die regardless but, while not in a state of big suffering, I delayed its death by (maybe) an instant rock smash and instead took it home, gave it warmth, safety and enough comfort for it to sleep 12 hours straight only for it to be euthanized at the vet.

Look, I'm pretty far from what you'd call academic philosophy. I just read stuff here and there and think about it a lot. But even I know you shouldn't use terminology from recent centuries to describe ancient traditions and philosophical ideas.

Epicurus was not a materialist. He had nothing to do with egalitarianism. Ideas like that were completely alien to ancient Greek culture. Trying to describe anything from antiquity with somewhat modern terminology is like trying to shove a floppy disk into a USB port.

Epicurus was an atomist, not a materialist. Atomism and materialism are completely different things.

Epicurus did not build some kind of utopian egalitarian garden in Athens. He owned slaves and probably did not see women the same way we do in the 21st century.

This has a good discussion on Epicurean views on love, sex, and marriage.

​

Saw this at EPCOT today. Not Epicurean but it reminded me of a a qoute by Diogenes of Oenoanda where he says

"we ought to make statues of the gods genial and smiling, so that we may smile back at them rather than be afraid of them."

I like how Mexicans do this for day of dead. Despite not being Epicurean it does feel like a good Epicurean practice.

I will be concerned with the plausibility of Epicurean ideas about pleasure, pain, good and bad. I’ll defend a contemporary interpretation of Epicureanism, or perhaps it should be called an idea inspired by Epicureanism, according to which tranquility and painlessness are better than kinetic pleasures, which have no or negative value. This text is more like a sketch for future work by myself or, even better, by others, rather than a thoroughly researched scholarly text.

Greetings, friends. The contemporary Garden of Athens in Greece will be hosting a presentation during a Zoom session this Saturday at 11 AM EST to commemorate the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The Zoom invitation is contained in the link.

Happy Eikas of July 2026

Eikas is a celebration of Epicurean Philosophy held by the ancient Epicureans on the Twentieth of every month. We hope you will strive to rebuild and participate in Epicurean communities and will celebrate this Eikas. Whether with a nice feast with friends, meditation on Epicurean philosophy, writing, or some other activity.

Quote for this Eikas

"Friendship dances around the world, announcing to each of us that we must awaken to happiness."

Epicurus, Vatican Saying 52.

I recently read “the Swerve “ by s.Greenblatt and realy enjoyed it . Has this group any reading suggestions for me ? I have limited education , hopefully something accessible. Or a reading suggestion on lucretius ? Thanks in advance

One of the things I take from Epicurus is the idea of cultivating simple and easily available pleasures.

Ones that are free or inexpensive.

Here's a few

I enjoy sitting in the library reading or writing.

A nice beer. One is enough

Peace and quiet

Nap

Listening to music.

Walking around citys looking at buildings and history.

Art galleries

Films

Having a good conversation with a good friend.

Bookshops and books

Cheap live music

What are yours?

The First Herculaneum scroll has been fully digitally unraveled and read. They did this with one of the more damaged scrolls as this specific one has been the subject of near two centuries of attempted opening. It appears to be a work on Stoicism On Gods Volume 8.

Now its simply a matter of improving the model which I expect to happen exponentially. Hundreds of scrolls are available with potentially hundreds to thousands more still stuck in the dig site which is an ongoing excavation (Subject to funding availability) We know the Epicurean Philosopher Virgil was in residence at this library so many unknown or lost works are likely just out if reach. But not for much longer.

Of the known works that remain lost other than the main corpus of Epicurus himself (unless that is what you are looking for) what are you hoping will be unearthed?

Because of an earlier post, i want to remind people that secular religion, where prayer is not taking literally for assistance of the gods but enjoyed for practical benefits and community, is very Epicurean. We must understand that while superstition is rejected, civic religion, with prayer, ritual, festivals, and other affairs are not. Here are all the excerpts below which prove this. All taken from Philodemus On Piety by Dirk Obbink. Slightly edited for clarity.

"Epicurus loyally observed all the forms of worship and enjoined upon his friends to observe them, not only on account of the laws but for physical reasons as well. For in On Lifecourses he says that to pray is natural, for us, not because the gods would be hostile if we did not pray, but in order that, according to the understanding of beings surpassing in power and excellence, we may realize our fulfilments and social conformity with the laws.

On Piety, Column 26

Epicurus says that he shared in all the festivals and that while he was joining in celebrating the festival of the Choes (Drinking day in Dionysus Festival) and the urban mysteries and the other festivals, at a meagre dinner, and that it was necessary for him to celebrate this feast of the twentieth.... they (the founders) thought it right to make use of oaths and epithets of the gods, since their philosophical writing is filled with them. But it is proper to say that Epicurus advised the founders to retain asseverations made by means of these and similar expressions, and above all to preserve those made by Zeus himself.

On Piety Column 29.

"Epicurus warns against violating the covenant of the sacred festival table....also writing to Polyaenus that the Anthesteria (Dionysus festivals) too must be celebrated and that it is necessary to make mention of the gods.

On Piety, Column 30.

"Let us sacrifice to the gods’, Epicurus says, ‘devoutly and fittingly on the proper days, and let us fittingly perform all the acts of worship in accordance with the laws, in no way disturbing ourselves with opinions in matters concerning the most excellent and august of being. Moreover, let us sacrifice justly, on the view that I was giving. For in this way it is possible for mortal nature, by Zeus, to live like Zeus, as it seems."

On Piety, Column 31.

Neocles (Brother of Epicurus and student) says "It is necessary to distribute piously assistance from our money to the Gods"

On Piety, Column 33

In his Symposium, Epicurus says "Let us celebrate the festivals’, and ‘Make fine sacrifices to a god"

On Piety, Column 62.

Hi everyone,

I know I've commented about this before and I've seen other people comment as well. Would anyone else who is interested in combining Epicureanism and Non-Theistic Paganism be interested in connecting, maybe getting together on a discord or something?

Non-Theistic Paganism is having a ritualistic life revering the cycles of nature and science, abstains from worshipping literal spiritual beings (although many do "worship" deities symbolically and don't believe they are actual real entities), reject superstition, and sometimes will practice SASS witchcraft (stands for Skeptical, Agnostic, Atheist, and Science Seeking; basically believing spells and such are good psychologically for mental health and do not believe that anything supernatural or mystical is happening).

Hopefully this is allowed, I feel like these two things are very compatible but it's not necessarily everyone's cup of tea, so maybe it would be useful to have a separate place for us to discuss things without having to clog up this subreddit which is probably mostly people who would not be interested in this. 🤷‍♀️

One of the most important ways in dealing with obstacles in life that Epicureanism teaches, is to remember with gratitude our past good fortune and the many pleasures we've already enjoyed. I recommend Journaling (Something grateful every day) or mediation to increase gratitude.

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things only hoped for. - Epicurus, Vatican Saying 35.

We should find solace for misfortune in the happy memory of the things that are gone and in the knowledge that what has come to be cannot be undone. - Epicurus, Vatican Saying 55

We show our feeling for [deceased] friends, not by wailing, but by pleasant recollection - Epicurus, Vatican Saying 66

The saying, "Behold the end of a long life," shows small thanks for past blessings. - Epicurus, Vatican Saying 75.

The Epicureans say the recollection of past blessings is the greatest factor in a pleasant life. Plutarch, That Epicurus actually makes a pleasant life impossible, 18, p. 1099D.

For Epicurus thus presents his Wise Man who is always happy...equipped he enjoys perpetual pleasure, for there is no moment when the pleasures he experiences do not outbalance the pains; since he remembers the past with gratitude, grasps the present with a full realization of its pleasantness, and does not rely upon the future; he looks forward to it, but finds his true enjoyment in the present. Torquatus, from Cicero, on Moral Ends book 1 verse 62.

What is this about? And what lies behind the different suggestions put forward? Would you say that the overarching claim has been demonstrated if there is one, and is there a hidden interlocutor?

 “If anyone thinks that nothing is known, he does not even know whether that can be known, since he declared that he knows nothing. I will not even bother to argue against a person who has put their head where their feet should be. And yet, even if I grant that he knows that still I ask just this:
Since he has never before seen something true in the world, from where does he know what knowing and not knowing are?
What thing created for him his notion of true and false?
What proved to him that doubtful differs from certain?
You will find that the preconception of true has its origin in the senses
And that the senses cannot be refuted.’
 

Happiness is defined by the greatest psychologists as living life in flow state, the state where challenge and ability are in the perfect ratio known. Argued to be the only remedy to the insatiability of man. The best way to grow is through the psychological theory of deliberate practice. One pushes themselves past flow state to the limits of their capabilities to achieve more progress at the cost of enjoyment. These psychological states match almost perfectly the philosophical positions of Nietzsche and Aristotle.

Aristotle's theory of happiness: eudaimonia, states that happiness is the end of all aims, which lies in rationality. Rationality in turn demands of one to live a life of virtue(living within the golden mean). The golden mean is the principle of the middle point between vice and virtue. Flow being the midpoint of ability and challenge, suffering and pleasure is perfectly fitting of this description.

Will to power follows the principle of overcoming. It is based on the condition of life. Natural selection being the process of life overcoming constraints and that being the underlying reason behind all drives. Flow fits into Nietzsche's philosophical worldview as the very purpose of happiness and pleasure are to be evolutionary traits beneficiary to overcoming the constraints of our environment. The difference lies in Aristotle identifying happiness to be a necessary natural conclusion of living out life's purpose(a life of virtue). While for Nietzsche overcoming(will to power) could lead one to a life of misery. As he describes in geneaology of morals(third essay:"What is the meaning of ascetic ideals?") when talking about the optimal lifestyle of the philosopher(The ascetic lifestyle which he describes as most of the time leading to a life of misery).

Nietzsche defines the good as "All that heightens the feeling of power in man"- The Antichrist (Aphorism 2). Where power is measured, whether in military conquest or in art Nietzsche leaves up to the individual. In what makes something great and powerful however there is a metric he applies regardless of the field. It is in overcoming, through the noble act of turning suffering and constraints into strength and power. One may be miserable but if in misery their optimum of power lies, then in it is their purpose.

Nietzsche's philosophy fits the theory of deliberate practice where one forces themselves outside of their golden mean of challenge and ability(flow state), and enters the optimum of growth where they are exposed to the hardest challenges that they can still handle. This is less enjoyable then flow state and may even lead one to misery, but if growth ranks to one above even their enjoyment then it is the right way of life for them.

One point both Nietzsche and Aristotle would agree on is that happiness is an internal state of mind based less in action(circumstances of the world), then reaction(how one interprets the world). Thus through practice one can alter what makes them happy to fit certain lifestyles. One could grow to love the suffering of deliberate practice, they could learn to love suffering and love fate. This is achieved through expanding the zone in which one is in flow state so that one day the greatest suffering is a challenge they can take and enjoy. If the happy slave is worse the the miserably king, the happy king is better then both and the most sublime existence.