A philosopher’s words are empty if they do not heal the suffering of mankind. For just as medicine is useless if it does not remove sickness from the body, so philosophy is useless if it does not remove suffering from the soul.(Epicurus)
Regrettably, modern philosophy has ceased to be relevant. On Wikipedia it is defined thus:
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with reality, existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational argument.
When the word “philosophy” is mentioned most people think first of the Greeks, not modern thinkers, and their mental association is with a dry-as-dust academic subject that spouts long, unintelligible words. University professors argue about the meaning of words when the rest of us are wondering about the meaning of life.
The explanation in Wikipedia continues, In more casual speech, by extension, “philosophy” can refer to “the most basic beliefs, concepts, and attitudes of an individual or group”.. Quite.
Epicureanism is down to earth and practical. How should we live? Do we have to compete with the Joneses? How should we treat others? At what point does more money stop really mattering? Who should we associate with and who shun? How should we view politics? Do we need all the clutter we accumulate, and so on. In professional parlance this might be labeled “ethics”, but the man in the street calls it “philosophy”.
It is a reflection on modern philosophy to note that, while Epicureanism is discussed and noted on the Wikipedia site on philosophy, Epicurus himself is not even included in the list of ancient Greek philosophers. Maybe they buy into the early christian propaganda against Epicureanism. Maybe they think Epicureanism has something to do with wedding catering? In any case, they do no service to these humane beliefs.
You’re echoing my feelings … as well as those of Dara Fogel in her Epicurean Manifesto, where she says philosophy has become a regurgitation of historical facts and a study of the history of itself.