PHIL 2131 Lecture 1: Jan 22
Document Summary
Religion"s job was to make sacrifices so you wouldn"t go to hell. You wouldn"t rely on the deity to make you happy. Choosing your pleasures based on how much pain they may bring. Being afraid of death will make you unhappy in your life. Ancient death - no heaven, you just went to the underworld. Terrible, nothing to look forward to after death. Accept pain that will bring you pleasures, don"t accept pleasures that bring you pain. Lots of his writings didn"t survive even though they were very complex. We should study philosophy whether we are young or old. Differentiating between aristotle, who didn"t think youth should study it. Epicurus" definition of happiness = ataraxia = peace of mind. Learn how to avoid disturbances of the soul (=mind in ancient greece) If you"ve accomplished these things, by definition you have peace of mind. If you waste your time worshipping you"ll get nowhere.
