Epicurus’ view on the value of friends has often been romanticised and equally often misunderstood. Epicurus himself seems to present contradictory views regarding the value of friendships. So does Epicurus want us to exploit our friends for our own good or not?
This article is part of The Ultimate Guide to Epicurus.
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Epicurean friendship
Much has been said about Epicurus and the value of friendship in his philosophy. According to some commentators, Epicurus was so associated with the concept of friendship in the ancient world, that when the Christians came around, they avoided talking about friendship, so as to not be confused for Epicureans.
Everybody with a passing interest in Christianity probably knows the famous passage of St Paul on love:
In contrast, St Paul never uses the words “friend” or “friendship” in his writings, and the most likely explanation is that these were just too firmly associated with the Epicurean community. (Not to mention that the image of the bearded, serene sage was well-known all over the Greek world and bears an uncanny resemblance to what we imagine Christ to have looked like).
But what exactly does Epicurus say about friendship?
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A comprehensive overview of Erich Fromm’s philosophy of happiness. We discuss his life, his ideas and his main works, both in their historical context and how they are still relevant for us today.
Romanticising Epicurus
There is a tendency to romanticise Epicurus and his little circle of friends. Yes, they met in beautiful garden, in which they got drunk on happiness, water and plain bread. Yes, they lived together in peace, oblivious to the struggles of the world beyond their garden. Yes, they were an egalitarian community, in which slaves and women had the same rights as free men, which was revolutionary for the time.
But we must be careful not to read too much into Epicurus’ ideas on friendship. Stephanie Mills, whose wonderful and tender book “Epicurean Simplicity” we discussed previously, writes:
Read the full article which is published on Daily Philosophy (external link)
