Brian Dougall, in The Hobo Test, his 2013 critique of Epicureanism, published in Philosophy Now, began by explaining what Epicurus meant by pleasure and then went on to explain what Epicurus meant by a “good. life” . He wrote that easily- accessible pleasures in the era of Epicurus included water, fruit, a comfortable hammock, a simple hut, and some friends. Examples of difficult-to-attain pleasures were foreign wines, exotic cheeses, large feather beds, columned mansions and political allies. Difficult to acquire meant “more pain than pleasure” . Epicurus counted himself blessed because Mother Nature had given the Greeks a pleasant climate, a bountiful land (and, implicitly, not too many people to compete with).
Dougall says that if Epicurus were alive today he wouldn ‘t recognise the world. There are 8 billion people competing for the world’s scarce resources. Humanity firmly controls access to nature with laws and law enforcement, backed by police and lawyers. People seeking to live in a hammock on on the sidewalk are fined or moved on. The land, once accessible, is now all privately owned,. The water in the nearby stream is polluted. In short, try living a simple life and you are miserable, potentially a beggar or a hobo, with the social stigma that goes with it. Dougall even takes Epicurus to task for suggesting that a group of good friends. are necessary, virtually calling him a ”selfish .pleasure-hoarder”.
Well some of this is quite true. It is no longer possible live simply exactly as Epicurus suggested. But noone these days advocates the sort of self-sufficiency that Dougall excoriates. Indeed, the idea of the 1980s commune is thoroughly discredited, and no one aspires to be a hobo or espouse flower power. I think he betrays his background by concentrating on material things only. Very Californian!
(Brian Dougall. has an MA from San Jose University and. BA in History from the the University of. California, Davis. He wrote a critique of Epicureanism in 2003)
There are other, non- material. aspects of Epicureanism that do resonate today:
- equality of treatment and opportunity suggested by the actions of early Epicureans
- courtesy to all, rich and poor, child and mother
- politeness and consideration
- tolerance
- rejection of superstition, organised religion, man-made gods and “eternal suffering”.
- compassion for immigrants, the oppressed and the sick
- refusal to be fearful of death.
- the power of friendship for the sake of friendship.
- the importance of education that broadens the mind.
- the ability to enter discussions with those who disagree with you, and put your points quietly. with a smile and without the current anger and foul language.
- impatience with politics maybe, but a belief that government should be for all the people, regardless of income and status and that oligarchy – or rule by rich cliques – should never prevail.
- an interest in sciences and the physical universe (Epicurus was an atomist, and, along with Democritus, one of the ancient fathers of modern physics)
Yes, you might have noticed that some of the above simply describe a “lady” or a “gentleman”. Some say that these are outdated concepts. If so, so much the worse for them and our modern world
(References include “The Epicurean Option”, by Professor Dane R. Gordon, professor of Philosophy, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY)