Episode 147 "Epicurus And His Philosophy" Part 03 - True Opinions And False Opinions About Epicurus

Welcome to Episode One Hundred Forty-Seven of Lucretius Today. This is a podcast dedicated to the poet Lucretius, who wrote "On The Nature of Things," the only complete presentation of Epicurean philosophy left to us from the ancient world. Each week we'll walk you through the ancient Epicurean texts, and we'll discuss how Epicurean philosophy can apply to you today. If you find the Epicurean worldview attractive, we invite you to join us in the study of Epicurus at EpicureanFriends.com, where you will find a discussion thread for each of our podcast episodes and many other topics. We're now in the process of a series of podcasts intended to provide a general overview of Epicurean philosophy based on the organizational structure employed by Norman DeWitt in his book "Epicurus and His Philosophy."<br />This week we discuss a series of Points and Counterpoints which Norman DeWitt describes as "True Opinions / False Opinions" about Epicurus:<br /><br /><br /><br />True Opinions - False Opinions<br />Epicurus’ Place In Greek Philosophy:<br />True: Epicurus came immediately after Plato (idealism; absolutism) and Pyrrho (the skeptic). Platonism and Skepticism were among Epicurus’ chief abominations.<br />False: Epicurus taught in response to Stoicism. (False because Epicurean philosophy was fully developed before Zeno began teaching Stoicism.)<br />Epicurus’ Attitude Toward Learning:<br />True: Epicurus was well educated and a trained thinker.<br />False: Epicurus was an ignoramus and an enemy of all culture.<br />Epicurus’ Goal For Himself And His Work:<br />True: Epicurus was not only a philosopher but a moral reformer rebelling against his teachers.<br />False: Epicurus was nothing more than a copycat who was ungrateful to his teachers.<br />Epicurus’ Place in Greek Scientific Thought:<br />True: Epicurus was returning to the Ionian tradition of thought which had been interrupted by Socrates and Plato. Epicurus was an Anti-Platonist and a penetrating critic of Platonism.<br />False: Epicurean scientific thought simp