PHIL 110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Epicurus

• School: University of San Diego
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: PHIL 110
• Professor: Colanter

Document Summary

First, believe that god is an indestructible [immortal] and blessed animal for gods exist, since we have a clear knowledge of them. But they are not such as the many believe them to be . Become accustomed to the belief that death is nothing to us. For all good and evil consists in sensation, but death is deprivation of sensation. And therefore a right understanding that death is nothing to us makes the morality of life enjoyable, not because it adds to an infinite span of time, but because it takes away the craving for immortality. For there is nothing terrible in life for the man who has truly comprehended that there is nothing terrible in not living. So that the man speaks but idly who says that he fears death not because it will be painful when it comes, but because it is painful in anticipation.