Epicurus on Wealth and Happiness
Money is Not the Key to Living a Good Life
Mar 1, 2009 Richard Mankiewicz
Epicurus was born in 341 BC on the fertile island of Samos. Weary of the austere philosophers he encountered, at the age of 29 he decided to set down his own thoughts.
The chief characteristic of Epicureanism was that a good life was founded upon sensual pleasures — and by sensual he meant the pleasures of all the senses: the taste of a good meal; the sight of aesthetic forms; an exchange of friendly conversation; and, yes, this includes sexual pleasures.
The Pleasure Principle
Epicurus eventually established a commune on the outskirts of Athens devoted to the pursuit of happiness. However, it would be a grave error to confuse Epicureanism with hedonism.
For Epicurus, to be successful in the pursuit of pleasure, one needs to have a thorough understanding of what true happiness means. In the case of Epicurus, such pleasures were actually simple and inexpensive.
Genuine Friendship
“Of all the things that wisdom provides to help one live one's entire life in happiness, the greatest by far is the possession of friendship.”
Epicurus stressed that dining in good company was even more important than what was on the menu. That true friends relate to each other at a deeper level than mere casual acquaintances, and are always there for each other. A handful of genuine friends could not be purchased with any amount of money and power.
Personal Freedom
The Epicurean commune also removed itself from the economic and political life of Athens, becoming as self-sufficient as they could. They forsook wealth for simplicity, and placed their freedom to be happy above the desire for status and being employed in the service of another. They measured their wealth in terms of happiness rather than gold.
Liberty of Thought
This third necessary ingredient is in the great tradition of Greek philosophy; that only the analysed life is truly worth living.
The ability to think clearly and openly was the best way to resolve both the smallest domestic problems to the largest questions of life. Having the freedom to share issues openly with friends would more likely lead to their resolution rather than having thoughts swirl around inside one's solitary troubled mind.
What is Necessary and Natural
Epicurus divided desires into three categories. He placed freedom, friendship and thinking into what was both natural and necessary — adding here the obvious physical necessities such as food and shelter.
Those things that were considered natural but not necessary were luxuries such as a fine house, sumptuous food and exotic holidays. In the last category, Epicurus placed fame and power as desires that are neither natural nor necessary.
Money and Happiness
The Epicurean relationship with money can now be properly analysed. Money is both natural and necessary in order to further those desires that are themselves natural and necessary.
If life is already fulfilled and pleasurable then earning the extra money needed to finance those luxuries may not be necessary but is not harmful either. However, if the aim of accumulating wealth is in order to fulfill desires that are unnecessary, without first having satisfied those that are, then life is liable to remain unfulfilled and unhappy.
For Epicurus, happiness is the absence of either physical pain or mental suffering. He is not interested in an ostentatious display of either wealth or joy, but rather the inner tranquility that comes from leading a good life.
To help put his philosophy into practice Epicurus also laid out Five Steps to Genuine Happiness.
Sources:
The Consolations of Philosophy by Alain de Botton.
Epicurus by Raffaello
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