Epicureanism, Cyrenaics, Skepticism,
Utilitarianism, Pragmatism, Individualism
Pleasures, Happiness, Enlightened Self Interest, Mutual Enjoyment, Sensuality,
Peace
Bibliography Quotations Chronology Links Utilitarianism
Key Epicurean and Hedonistic Ideas Stoicism Cyrenaics Main Index
Touching Seeing Hearing Smelling Tasting Senses Hands Somaesthetics
Gardening
Taijiquan
Qigong
Hatha Yoga
Walking
A Hypertext Notebook by Mike Garofalo Containing a Reading Guide, Notes,
Quotations, Bibliography, Resources,
Contextual Information,
Quotations, Philosophy, Rambling, Reconnoitering, Research, and
Miscellanies.
Epicurus, 341-270 BCE
The Art of Happiness
Hedonism,
Epicureanism, Cyrenaics, Utilitarianism, Skeptics
Pleasures, Happiness, Contentment,
Enlightened Self-Interest, Privacy, Sensuality, Peace, Mutual Enjoyment
Bibliography, Resources, Links
I favor ethical and lifestyle philosophies from authors who emphasize viewpoints such as Epicureanism, hedonism, utilitarianism, liberalism, pragmatism, democracy, skepticism, practicality, empiricism, secularism, reasoning, liberty, humanism, Enlightenment, materialism, science, etc. I believe that most Hedonists and Epicureans support these viewpoints. Most hedonists are non-religious, anti-religious, or atheists, including myself. If you favor theocracy, conservatism, religious codes of conduct, revelation, absolutism, authoritarian societies, clerics, asceticism, supernaturalism, body hating, believing, or Platonic-Christian idealism, then you will not find much material of interest to you on this webpage.
In the summer of 2016, I plan to read many of these books, research the topic, take notes, and publish my research into Hedonism and Epicureanism.
There are many books on this webpage that I am currently reading, studying, or have read that are
in my home library in Red Bluff, California.
Books in my home library at the Valley Spirit Center are coded "VSCL."
I can only use the English language in my philosophical studies. Therefore, there are few references below to books and articles in languages other than English. Many of the books listed below, written by serious scholars, researchers, and academics, include excellent bibliographies of non-English books and articles. We all need to thank those translators who have helped to reveal to us the thoughts of non-English writers of the past and present. You can read this document in many languages thanks to the Google Translator drop down menu.
If you click on any underlined book title or any book
image, the embedded link will take you to Amazon for purchasing that book.
Please purchase some of these fine books.
Generally, this bibliography and links are arranged by the titles of the books
or webpages; and sometimes around themes or persons.
To search by author or topics, press the Ctrl+F keys to open the search box in
your favorite web browser.
A
Advice from Wise Persons: How to Live a Good Life. Compiled by Michael
P. Garofalo.
Aesthetic Movement in Art
and Literature
Agnosticism, Religious Doubts,
Atheism, Theological Fictions. Notes, recommended reading, and personal
opinions and experiences of Mike Garofalo.
Anarchy, State and Utopia. By Robert Nozick. Basic Books, 1974, 2nd
Edition, 2013. Index, bibliography, notes, 400 pages. ISBN: 978-0465051007. "Translated
into 100 languages, winner of the National Book Award, and named one of the 100
Most Influential Books since World War II by the Times Literary Supplement, Anarchy,
State and Utopia remains one of the most theoretically trenchant and
philosophically rich defenses of economic liberalism to date, as well as a
foundational text in classical libertarian thought." Professor Nozick
argues for the primacy of the individual, individual rights and liberties,
acceptance of inequality, anti-utilitarianism, restriction of intrusion by the
State, and a minimalist government (i.e., military, police, and courts).
Those who support the
Tea Party agenda would agree with many of Nozick's arguments. VSCL.
Ancient Scepticism. By Harald Thorsrud. Berkeley, University of California Press, 2009.
Index, notes, references, bibliography, sources, 264 pages. Ancient Philosophy
Series, Book 5. ISBN: 9780520260269. VSCL.
Appetites for Thought: Philosophers and Food. By Michel Onfray.
Translated by Stephen Meucke and Donald Barry. Reaktion Books, 2015.
128 pages. ISBN: 9781780234458.
Appreciation, Thankfulness, Cheerfulness, Gratitude Quotations,
sayings, recommended reading, and notes
compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Aristippus of Cyrene (435 BCE – 356 BCE) was the founder of the
Cyrenaic
school of Philosophy. The school was was located in the ancient Greco-Roman city of Cyrene; with the ruins of this
ancient city lying in a lush valley in present day Libya. 'Aristippus was a pupil of
Socrates,
but adopted a very different philosophical outlook, teaching that the goal of
life was to seek pleasure by adapting circumstances to oneself and by
maintaining proper control over both adversity and prosperity. Among his
pupils was his daughter
Arete.' .... Cyrene lies in a lush
valley in the
Jebel Akhdar uplands in Libya. The city was named after a
spring, Kyre, which the Greeks consecrated to
Apollo. It was
also the seat of the
Cyrenaics,
a famous
school of philosophy in the 3rd century BC, founded by
Aristippus,
a disciple of
Socrates. It was then nicknamed the "Athens
of Africa." '
Aristippus of Cyrene. By Joshua J. Mark.
Aristippus of Cyrene.
Diogenes Laërtius,
Life of Aristippus, translated by Robert Drew Hicks (1925).
Aristotle (384–322 BCE) Information on Aristotle:
Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy,
Wikipedia Encyclopedia, Internet
Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Aristotle. The Basic Works of
Aristotle. Edited with an Introduction by Richard McKeon.
New York, Random House, 1941. 1487 pages. VSCL.
Art and Experience in Classical Greece
The Art of Happiness.
Art in the Hellenistic Age
Ataraxia
A lucid state of robust tranquility. A calm and tranquil state of mind
cultivated by the Skeptics and Stoics.
Atheism Notes,
recommended reading, and personal opinions and experiences of Mike Garofalo.
Atheist Manifesto: The Case Against Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
By Michel Onfray. Translated from the French by Jeremy Leggatt. New
York Arcade Publishing, 2005, 2011. ISBN: 10161145008X. Annotated
bibliography, 246 pages. A lucid, strong, well reasoned, insightful, and
stylish presentation. Excellent explication of the French and European
writing on atheism, anti-clericalism, irreligion, deconstruction of religions,
and anti-fascism. VSCL.
Atoms, Pneuma, and Tranquillity: Epicurean and Stoic Themes in European Thought
Aurelius, Marcus.
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus;
26 April 121 – 17 March 180 AD) was
Roman Emperor from 161 to 180. 'He ruled with
Lucius
Verus as co-emperor from 161 until Verus' death in 169. He was the last of
the
Five Good Emperors, and is also considered one of the most important
Stoic
philosophers. During his reign, the
Empire
defeated a revitalized
Parthian Empire in the East: Aurelius' general
Avidius Cassius sacked the capital
Ctesiphon
in 164. In central Europe, Aurelius fought the
Marcomanni,
Quadi, and
Sarmatians
with success during the
Marcomannic Wars, although the threat of the
Germanic tribes began to represent a troubling reality for the Empire. A
revolt in the East led by Avidius Cassius failed to gain momentum and was
suppressed immediately. Marcus Aurelius'
Stoic tome
Meditations, written in Greek while on campaign between 170 and 180, is
still revered as a literary monument to a philosophy of service and duty,
describing how to find and preserve equanimity in the midst of conflict by
following nature as a source of guidance and inspiration."
Aurelius,
Marcus (121-180 CE)
Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy,
Wikipedia Encyclopedia,
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Awaken the Giant Within.
By Anthony Robbins. Free Press, 1992. Index, 544 pages. ISBN: 98-0671791544. VSCL.
B
Beauty, Loveliness, Grace,
Art, Style Quotations, sayings, poems, recommended reading, and
notes compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Bentham, Jeremy (1748-1832) Information:
Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy,
Wikipedia Encyclopedia,
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Bentham, Jeremy, 15 February 1748 - 6 June 1832, was a British philosopher,
jurist, and social reformer. "He is regarded as the founder of modern
utilitarianism. He strongly endorsed acting on the principle that "it is
the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and
wrong." He became a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law,
and a political radical whose ideas influenced the development of
welfarism.
He advocated
individual and
economic freedom, the
separation of church and state,
freedom of expression, equal rights for women, the right to divorce, and the
decriminalising of homosexual acts. He called for the
abolition of slavery, the abolition of the
death penalty, and the abolition of
physical punishment, including that of children. He has also become
known in recent years as an early advocate of
animal rights. Though strongly in favour of the extension of
individual legal rights, he opposed the idea of
natural
law and
natural rights, calling them "nonsense upon stilts". Bentham's
students included his secretary and collaborator
James Mill,
the latter's son,
John Stuart Mill, the legal philosopher
John Austin, as well as
Robert
Owen, one of the founders of
utopian socialism." - Wikipedia
Bentham, Jeremy
Principles of Morals and Legislation, 1789.
The Birth of Hedonism: The Cyrenaic Philosophers and Pleasure as a Way of Life.
By Kurt Lampe. Princeton University Press, 2015. Index,
bibliography, notes, references, 277 pages.
ISBN: 978-0691161136. VSCL.
The Birth of Pleasure. By Carol Gilligan. Vintage, Reprint
edition, 2003. 272 pages. A discussion of love. ISBN:
9780679759430.
The Blackwell Guide to Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics.
Bohemian Manifesto: A Field Guide to Living on the Edge
Broadmindedness, Openess. Quotations, Sayings, Notes compiled by Mike
Garofalo.
Advice Beauty Bibliography Blog Body-Mind Broad Minded Cheerfulness
Contemplation Desires Dharmapada Sutra Education Epicureanism Equanimity Ethics
Feeling Fitness Five Senses Friendship Gardening Generosity Good Life
Happiness Hedonism Hospitality Independence Index Kindness Learning Lifestyle Links
Meditation Memory Mindfulness Moderation Neo-Paganism Open Minded Paramitas
Patience Philosophy Play Pleasures Qigong Reading Secular Self-Reliance
Sensory Pleasures Simplicity Solitude Somaesthetics Spirituality Stoicism Taijiquan
Tao Te Ching Thinking Tolerance Touching Tranquility Vigor Virtues Vision Vitality
Walking Willpower Wisdom Wonder Work Yoga Zen Precepts
C
Calmness, Equanimity, Impartiality, Poise, Fearlessness Quotations, Sayings, Poems, Notes. Compiled by Mike Garofalo.
The Cambridge Companion to Ancient
Skepticism. Edited by Richard Bett. Cambridge University Press,
2010. 392 pages. ISBN: 978-0521697545.
The Cambridge Companion to Aristotle.
The Cambridge Companion to Epicureanism.
Caring, Kindness, Good Will,
Compassion Quotations, sayings, recommended reading, and notes
compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Carnal Philosophy: Ethics, Aesthetics, and Erotics
Charvaka Lokayatika School
The Materialism of the Charvaka Lokayatika School. By B.
Brodov. Brihaspati
(circa 600 BCE) is believed to be the founder of the
Charvaka (Cārvāka), "originally known as Lokāyata and Bhaspatya, is the ancient school of Indian materialism. Charvaka holds direct perception, empiricism, and conditional inference as proper sources of knowledge, embraces philosophical skepticism and rejects Vedas, Vedic ritualism and supernaturalism. Ajita Kesakambali is credited as the forerunner of the Charvakas, while Brihaspati (circa 600 BCE) is usually referred to as the founder of Charvaka or Lokāyata philosophy. Much of the primary literature of Charvaka, the Barhaspatya sutras (ca. 600 BCE), are missing or lost. Its teachings have been compiled from historic secondary literature such as those found in the shastras, sutras and the Indian epic poetry as well as in the dialogues of Gautama Buddha and from Jain literature. One of the widely studied principles of Charvaka philosophy was its rejection of inference as a means to establish valid, universal knowledge, and metaphysical truths. In other words, the Charvaka epistemology states that whenever one infers a truth from a set of observations or truths, one must acknowledge doubt; inferred knowledge is conditional. Charvaka is categorized as a heterodox school of Indian philosophy. It is considered an example of atheistic schools in the Hindu tradition. Charvaka believed that there was nothing wrong with sensual pleasure. Since it is impossible to have pleasure without pain, Charvaka thought that wisdom lay in enjoying pleasure and avoiding pain as far as possible. Unlike many of the Indian philosophies of the time, Charvaka did not believe in austerities or rejecting pleasure out of fear of pain and held such reasoning to be foolish. The Sarvasiddhanta Samgraha states the Charvaka position on pleasure and hedonism as follows, "The enjoyment of heaven lies in eating delicious food, keeping company of young women, using fine clothes, perfumes, garlands, sandal paste... while moksha is death which is cessation of life-breath... the wise therefore ought not to take pains on account of moksha. A fool wears himself out by penances and fasts. Chastity and other such ordinances are laid down by clever weaklings."— Sarvasiddhanta Samgraha, Verses 9-12[54]." Information from the Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Brihaspati (600 BCE) Alleged founder of Charvaka Lokayatika School in India. Materialist, atheist, anti-religious, hedonist, skeptic.
Cheerfulness, Appreciation, Thankfulness, Gratitude Quotations, sayings, recommended reading, and notes compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Cloud Hands Blog. By
Michael P. Garofalo. Over 2,400 indexed posts on well being, philosophy, somaesthetics, taijiquan, qigong, walking, gardening, yoga, Taoism,
hedonism, and
spirituality. Over 700,000 page views as of 6/1/2016.
The Compass of Pleasure: How Our Brains Make Fatty Foods, Orgasm, Exercise,
Marijuana, Generosity, Vodka, Learning, and Gambling Feel So Good. By
David J. Linden. Penguin Books, Reprint Edition 2012. 240 pages.
ISBN: 9780143120759.
The Conquest of Happiness By Bertrand Russell.
Introduction by Daniel Dennett. Liveright, 1930, 2013. 224 pages.
ISBN: 9780871406736. VSCL.
Culture of the Slow: Social Deceleration in an Accelerated World.
Edited by N. Osbaldiston. Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. Consumption and
Public Life Series. 195 pages. ISBN: 978-0230299764.
Cynicism.
Wikipedia
The Cynic Philosophers: From Diogenes to Julian.
Translated with an introduction by Robert Dobbin. New York, Penguin Classics, Reprint 2013.
Notes, glossary, 352 pages. ISBN: 978-0141192222. VSCL.
The Cyrenaics
Cyrenaics
Aristippus and
the Pursuit of Pleasure
Cyrenaics
Aristippus of Cyrene (435 BCE – 356 BCE) was the founder of the
Cyrenaic
school of Philosophy. The school was was located in the ancient Greco-Roman city of Cyrene; with the ruins of this
ancient city lying in a lush valley in present day Libya. 'Aristippus was a pupil of
Socrates,
but adopted a very different philosophical outlook, teaching that the goal of
life was to seek pleasure by adapting circumstances to oneself and by
maintaining proper control over both adversity and prosperity. Among his
pupils was his daughter
Arete.' .... Cyrene lies in a lush
valley in the
Jebel Akhdar uplands in Libya. The city was named after a
spring, Kyre, which the Greeks consecrated to
Apollo. It was
also the seat of the
Cyrenaics,
a famous
school of philosophy in the 3rd century BC, founded by
Aristippus,
a disciple of
Socrates. It was then nicknamed the "Athens
of Africa." '
Cyrenaics -
The Birth of Hedonism: The Cyrenaic Philosophers and Pleasure as a Way of Life.
By Kurt Lampe. Princeton University Press, 2014. 304 pages.
ISBN: 978-0691161136.
Cyrenaics Handbook
The Cyrenaics on
Pleasure, Happines, and Future Concern. By Tim O'Keefe.
Cyrenaics - Internet Encyclopedia of
Philosophy
Cyrenaics Resources By Lucian of Samosata Wiki. Many
ancient texts cited.
D
Decadent Movemen in Art and Literature
In Defence of Sensuality
Delight, Pleasures, Satisfaction, Enjoyment. Quotations,
sayings, recommended reading, and notes compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Determination, Resolve, Willpower, Perseverance Quotations,
sayings, recommended reading, and notes compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Dialectic of the Chinese Revolution: From Utopianism to Hedonism. By
Jiwei Ci. Stanford University Press, 1994. 292 pages. ISBN:
978-0804723732.
Different Loving: The World of Sexual Dominance and Submission. By
William Brame, Gloria Brame, and Jon Jacobs. Villard, 1996.
560 pages. ISBN: 9780679769569. VSCL.
Diogenes of Oinoanda
and Epicurean Thought
Doctrines and Sayings of Epicurus
E
Egoism: Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy,
Wikipedia Encyclopedia,
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Elemental Epicureanism Website.
General resources, physics, canonics, ethics, 12 Elementals, 40 Doctrines.
Elemental Epicureanism.
Enjoyment, Delight, Pleasures, Satisfaction Quotations, sayings,
recommended reading, and notes compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Enlightened Pleasures: Eighteenth-Century France and the New Epicureanism
Enlightenment,
Wisdom, Insight, Inspiration - Quotations
Enthusiasm, Vitality, Vigor, Grit - Quotations
Epicurean Ethics: Katastematic Hedonism (Studies in the History of Philosophy)
By Stephanie Mills. Washington, Shearwater Books, Island Press, 2002. 207 pages.
ISBN: 9781559636902. VSCL.
The Epicurean Tradition
Epicureanism.
Epicureanism - Wikipedia, 2015 " Only a few
fragments and letters of Epicurus's 300 written works remain. Much of what
is known about Epicurean philosophy derives from later followers and
commentators. For Epicurus, the purpose of philosophy was to attain the
happy, tranquil life, characterized by
ataraxia—peace
and freedom from fear—and
aponia—the
absence of pain—and by living a self-sufficient life surrounded by friends. He
taught that pleasure and pain are measures of what is good and evil; death is
the end of both body and soul and should therefore not be feared; the gods
neither reward nor punish humans; the universe is infinite and eternal; and
events in the world are ultimately based on the motions and interactions of
atoms moving
in empty space."
Epicureanism after Epicurus: The Influence of Epicurus on Western Thought.
By Robert Hanrott.
By Catherine Wilson. Oxford University Press, 2008. 320 pages.
ISBN: 978-0199238811. A study of Epicurean influences on many of the
ideas that pervaded seventeenth and eighteenth century metaphysics,
epistemology, ethics, and natural and political philosophy.
Epicureanism: A Very Short Introduction
Epicureans and Hedonists:
Bibliography, Links, Quotations, Notes, Sayings, Pointers. Compiled by
Mike Garofalo - Hypertext Notebooks.
Epicurus, 341 - 270 BCE. Founder of the Greek philosophical school of
Epicureanism in Athens, Greece, at "The Garden."
Epicurus, 341 - 270 BCE. Founder of the Greek philosophical school of
Epicureanism in Athens, Greece, at "The Garden."
Epicurus (341-270 BCE) Information on Epicurus:
Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy, Wikipedia Encyclopedia,
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Epicurus, 341-270 BCE History, biography, views of the
Epircurean School.
The Art of Happiness.
Epicurus Birthday, Celebration in Honor
of Epicurus
Epicurus
The Sanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2015. "Epicurus joined his father
in Colophon, on the coast of what is now Turkey, in around 321 BCE. Here he
studied philosophy under the tutelage of Nausiphanes, a Democritean philosopher
with skeptical leanings. Ten years later, Epicurus moved to Mytilene on
the island of Lesbos, and soon proceeded to Lampsacus on the nearby mainland; in
both cities he taught and gathered followers before returning again to Athens in
307 BCE, where he remained until his death in 270, at the age of seventy-one. In
Athens, he had purchased the property that became known as the “Garden” (later
used as a name for his school itself) and began to develop his own school in
earnest."
Epicurus and Epicurean Philosophy
Created by Vincent Cook. A good list of
online classical texts useful to Epicureans. Excellent
historical summary. Good
information on resources.
Epicurus and the Epicurean Tradition
Epicurus Blog: Moderation, Enjoyment of
Life, Tranquility, Friendship, Lack of Fear. By Robert Hanrott.
Epicurus:
The Art of Happiness.
Epicurus:
Epicurus Ethical Theory: The Pleasures of Invulnerability.
Translated by Brad Inwood with an introduction by Lloyd P. Gerson. Hackett
Classics. Hackett Pub. Co., 1994. 128 pages. ISBN:
9780872202412.
Epicurus:
The Essential Epicurus
Translated with an introduction by Eugene O'Connor. Letters, Principal
Doctrines, Vatican Sayings, and Fragments. New York, Promethus Books,
Great Books in Philosophy, 1993. 101 pages. ISBN: 0879758104.
VSCL.
Equanimity, Calmness,
Poise, Impartiality, Fearlessness:
Quotations, Sayings, Poems, Notes. Compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Equanimity. Wikipedia. The Greek stoics use the word
apatheia
whereas the Roman stoics used the Latin word aequanimitas.
The Essential Epicurus
Translated with an introduction by Eugene O'Connor. Letters, Principal
Doctrines, Vatican Sayings, and Fragments. New York, Promethus Books,
Great Books in Philosophy, 1993. 101 pages. ISBN: 0879758104.
VSCL.
Ethical Egoism -
Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Ethical Egoism - Internet
Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Ethical Egoism
- Google Search
The Ethical Significance of Pleasure, Feeling, and
Happiness in Modern Neo-Hedonistic Systems. By William Kelley Wright.
The Ethics of Philodemus
Ethics: The Essential Writings. Edited with an introduction by Gordon
Marino. New York, Modern Library, 2010. Sources, 611 pages.
ISBN: 978-0812977783. VSCL.
Created by Michael P. Garofalo, Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Red Bluff, California, © 2016 CCA 4.0
F
Feelings, Sensation, Perception,
The Five Senses Quotations, bibliography, links, resources, notes, and
research compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Feldman, Fred, Ph.D.
Utilitarianism, Hedonism, and Desert: Essays in Moral Philosophy,
1997.
Pleasure and the Good Life: Concerning the Nature, Varieties, and Plausibility of Hedonism,
2006.
A Few Days in Athens: The Friends of Epicurus Edition
A Few Days In Athens
Fiction, Fictional Characters, Hedonists in Fiction,
Fictional Characters with a Epicurean Approach to Life
The Five Senses, Perception,
Impressions, Feelings Quotations, bibliography, links, resources,
notes, and research compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Flourishing, Happiness,
Fulfillment - Quotations. Quotes, sayings, facts, lore, and
information compiled by Mike Garofalo.
The Four Agreements. By Don Miguel Ruiz. Amber-Allen Pub., 1997.
160 pages. ISBN: 978-1878424310.
Friendship: Quotations, Sayings,
Wisdom, Poetry, Aphorisms, Virtues. Compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Frequently
Asked Questions about Epicureanism - With Answers
From Pain to Pleasure: The Proven Pathway to Happiness: Epicurean Happiness Guidance
Frugality, Simplicity, Down to Earth, Uncomplicated. Quotations, sayings,
recommended reading, and notes compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Fulfillment, Happiness,
Flourishing - Quotations. Quotes, sayings, facts, lore, and
information compiled by Mike Garofalo.
G
Games,
Play, Fun, Pretending Quotations, sayings, recommended reading,
and notes compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Gardening Over 3,500
quotations arranged by over 150 topics. Compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Epicurus taught in Athens at "The Garden." At the entrance to his "Garden"
was a sign with the words "Stranger, here you do well to tarry; here our highest
good is pleasure." Gardening has provided me with many pleasures over my
lifetime.
Garofalo,
Michael P. (1946-)
Biography
My Views About Religion
Sensory Pleasures
How to Live a Good Life
Main Index
Gassendi, Pierre (1592-1655)
Gassendi's
Epicurus Epicurus: His Life and Works, 1660, by Petrus Gassendi.
Gassendi's complete book on Epicurus in PDF Format.
Generosity, Giving, Sharing. Quotations, sayings, recommended reading,
and notes compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Good Life and Virtues Website. Quotations,
Sayings, Notes compiled by Mike Garofalo. From the Hypertext Notebooks
of Mike Garofalo.
The Good Life: Unifying the Philosophy and Psychology of Well-Being.
By Michael Bishop. Oxford University Press, 2015. 248 pages.
ISBN: 978-019923113.
Great Freethinkers: Selected Quotations by Famous Skeptics and Nonconformists.
Edited by James C. Sanford. Providence, Rhode Island, 2004.
Biographical index, 250 pages. ISBN: 0974704229. VSCL.
The Greeks on Pleasure
H
The Hand, Touch, Feeling:
Quotations, Bibliography, Resources, Links, Notes From the
Hypertext Notebooks of Mike Garofalo.
Happiness
(Eudaimonia)
Happiness: A History
Happiness: A Philosopher's Guide. By Frederic Lenoir. Translated
by Andrew Brown. Melville House, 2015. 208 pages. ISBN:
978-1612194394.
Happiness, Flourishing,
Fulfillment - Quotations. Quotes, sayings, facts, lore, and
information compiled by Mike Garofalo.
The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom. By
Jonathan Haidt. Basic Books, 2006. 320 pages. ISBN:
978-0465028023.
Hearing, Listening,
Sounds, Silence. Quotes, sayings, facts, lore, and information
compiled by Mike Garofalo. From the Hypertext Notebooks of Mike
Garofalo.
Hedonism - International
Encyclopedia of Ethics
Hedonism - Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Hedonism - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Hedonism - Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
The Hedonism Handbook: Mastering The Lost Arts Of Leisure And Pleasure
The Hedonist Alternative: "Anti-Seneca" and Other Texts
A Hedonist Manifesto By Michel Onfray. Translated and with a good
introduction by Joseph McClellan. Columbia University Press, 2015. 232 pages.
Insurrections: Critical Studies in Religion, Politics, and Culture. ISBN:
978-0231171267. Michel
Onfray (1959-) is a French philosopher and public intellectual who founded
and teaches at the free Popular University of Caen. He has written more
than sixty books in French, many of them best sellers. His writing style
is rich with comparisons and philosophical references, contemporary in scope,
and for the advanced and knowledgeable reader. Generally, he does not use of obtuse philosophical jargon
like you might encounter in Merleau-Ponty, Heidegger, Foucault,
or Sartre. I find his critical and skeptical thinking quite insightful and convincing.
He discusses art, bioethics, the body, politics, and intellectual history. The book
begins with a detailed discussion of his very negative experiences in a Catholic Salesian orphanage, and his uncaring mother. He exposes
the the philosophical underpinnings of non-Hedonistic or anti-Hedonist views.
He is an articulate atheist in the French tradition. However, I don't find
is presentation of the positive values of Hedonism very rich with examples and
details─maybe that is found in his other books. There are some of his
lifestyle recommendations that I
personally don't favor, just as preferences, not based on ethical objections.
His distain for America seem lopsided.
Unfortunately, only two of his books have been translated into English. I have the E-book Kindle version, VSCL.
The Hedonistic Imperative. By David Pearce. Kindle E-Book, 2015. 166 pages.
Hedonistic Theories from Aristippus to Spencer.
Hedonistic Utilitarianism
The Hellenistic Philosophers: Volume 1, Translations of the Principal Sources with Philosophical Commentary.
Hellenistic Philosophy:
Introductory Readings.
Hellenistic Philosophy of Mind.
Hellenistic Philosophy: Stoics, Epicureans, Sceptics
History
of Epicurean Philosophy by Vincent Cook
The History of Sexuality, Volume 2: The Use of Pleasure. By Michel
Foucault. Translated by Robert Hurley. Vintage Books, 1990.
304 pages. ISBN: 978-0394751221.
The Holy Barbarians. By Larry Lipton. New York, Julian
Messner, Inc., 1959. 320 pages.
The How of Happiness: A
Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want
How Pleasure Works: The New Science of Why We Like What We Like. By
Paul Bloom. W.W. Norton, 2011. 304 pages. ISBN: 9780393340006.
How to Life a Good Life:
Advice from Wise Persons. Compiled by Michael P. Garofalo.
Hypertext Notebooks of Mike Garofalo
Senses, Pleasure, Hedonism, Druids, Stoics, Touch, Tao Te Ching, Taijiquan, Qigong, Walking,
Philosophy, Tai Chi Chuan, Poetry, etc.
Mike Garofalo (1945-) and
Karen Garofalo live south of the City of
Red Bluff, in Tehama County, California. They live in a rural area,
surrounded by almond orchards, at the "Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove."
[Both a real and a imaginary place.] Our home and gardens are located on
the flat, clay/sand rockless soil, in the midland heart of the North Sacramento
River Valley. Mike's writings are published under the
Green Way Research banner.
I
Impulsive, Spontaneity, Flexibility - Quotations
In Defense of Sensuality. By John Cowper Powys. V. Gollancz,
1931. 287 pages.
Individualism -
Wikipedia Encyclopedia. An excellent overview of the subject, its history,
key advocates, references, and links. Many, but not all individualists,
are hedonists. Individualists all tend to resist forced conformity, favor
minimal government or anarchist political positions, and support individual
liberties.
Inspiration,
Enlightenment, Wisdom, Inspiration - Quotations
Intelligent Life Magazine - The Economist
An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation
Impartiality, Equanimity, Calmness, Poise, Fearlessness:
Quotations, Sayings, Poems, Notes. Compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Introduction to Virtue Ethics: Insights of the Ancient Greeks
Inventing the Individual: The Origins of Western Liberalism. By Larry
Siedentop. New York, Penguin Books, 2014. Index, bibliography,
notes, 434 pages. ISBN: 978-0141009544, VSCL.
J
Jefferson, Thomas
(1743-1826) "I too am an Epicurean. I consider the genuine (not the
imputed) doctrines of Epicurus as containing everything rational in moral
philosophy which Greece and Rome have left us." (1819)
Jefferson, Thomas:
Syllabus of the Doctrines of Epicurus (1819)
K
Katastematic: A primarily internal condition, attitude, state of body-mind producing feelings of pleasure. The experience of pleasant feeling when the body is healthy, relatively pain or distress free, at ease, and you are comfortable in your skin.
"It would be a condition of no pleasure and no pain
classifiable as kinetic, but it would by no means be a condition of no pleasure
and no pain at all. It would in fact be a condition of pleasure arising from the
simple, undisturbed, undistracted, awareness of oneself, and of one's openness
to the world through specific sensory inputs, but without being currently
engaged with any. It would be an active awareness of one's constitution as a
particular sort of animal—a constitution for such sensory engagement. And, one
would not be experiencing this pleasant awareness unless one's condition were
one of normal healthiness and ongoing natural functioning: if one's condition
were not such, one would be experiencing some disturbing movements in one's
consciousness—unhealthy or disturbed and distorted functioning is just what does
cause kinetic pain. Accordingly, to pleasure arising in this second set of
circumstances for the arousal of pleasure, Epicurus gave
the name "katastematic," drawing upon a Greek term for a condition or state, or
for the constitution, of a thing. It is called "katastematic" not so to indicate
a special kind of pleasure, any more than kinetic pleasures are a kind of
pleasure, but rather so as to draw attention to the special circumstances of
pleasure's arousal, on which it is conditioned, in the case of this pleasure. We
would describe this pleasure as pleasure in the awareness of the healthy
functioning of one's own natural constitution, physical and psychic."
- John M. Cooper, Pursuits
of Wisdom, 2012, p. 234
"For Epicurus, the only criterion for deciding on one's way of life is what will
work out best form the point of view on one's own pursuit of a continuous
experience of katastematic pleasure, varied suitably so as to conform to one's
own, perhaps somewhat idiosyncratic, preferences among sources of kinetic
pleasure."
- John M. Cooper, Pursuits
of Wisdom, 2012, p. 263
Kindness, Caring, Good Will, Compassion Quotations,
sayings, recommended reading, and notes
compiled by Mike Garofalo.
L
Liberalism. By Ludwig von Mises (1881-1973). Translated by Ralph
Raico. Edited by Arthur Goddard. Ludwig von Mises
Institute, 1927, 2010. Index, appendix, 207 pages. ISBN: 9781933550848.
The welfare state is doomed to failure; a free economy is sustainable. A
minimalist non-interventionist government is best to produce the greatest
happiness for the greatest number. VSCL.
Libertine - Wikipedia
Encyclopedia. Excellent survey of the term, its history, prominent
libertines, novels, and clubs. A good scholarly article on the subject
with references and excellent links. Libertines were mostly against
theocratic rule of society, anti-clericalism, erotic sensualists, wealthy, and
often aristocrats.
Life, Letters and Epicurean Philosophy of Ninon de L Enclos. Book
Jungle, 2008. 272 pages. ISBN: 9781605979076.
Life's Little Instruction Book: 511 Suggestions, Observations, and
Reminders on How to Live a Happy and Rewarding Life. By H. Jackson Brown,
Jr. Thomas Nelson, Revised edition, 2000. 160 pages. ISBN:
1558538356.
Locke, John (1602-1734) Information:
Wikipedia Encyclopedia,
Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy Locke, like Epircurus, defended the empiricist view that
knowledge comes from sensations and experience, and not the view of Plato or
Descartes that true knowledge comes only from a rational intuition of forms or
concepts not derived from experience.
Locke, John.
Collected Works, E-book Kindle Version, 7 Works: Essay Concerning Human
Understanding, Treatise on Government, Letter on Tolerance. VSCL.
Loveliness, Beauty, Grace, Art, Style Quotations, sayings,
poems, recommended reading, and notes compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Lucretius:
The Nature of Things.
Titus Lucretius Carus (99 - 55 BCE)
Information:
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy,
Wikipedia Encyclopedia,
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Lucretius: The Way Things Are: The Way Things Are: The De Rerum Natura of Titus Lucretius Carus
Lucretius: Titus
Lucretius Carus, circa 99 BCE - 55 BCE., was a
Roman poet and philosopher. "His only known work is the epic
philosophical poem
De rerum natura about the tenets and philosophy of
Epicureanism, and which is usually translated into English as On the
Nature of Things. Very little is known about Lucretius's life; the
only certain fact is that he was either a friend or
client of
Gaius Memmius, to whom the poem was addressed and dedicated. De
rerum natura was a considerable influence on the
Augustan poets, particularly
Virgil (in his
Aeneid
and
Georgics, and to a lesser extent on the Satires and
Eclogues)
and Horace.
The work virtually disappeared during the
Middle
Ages but was rediscovered in 1417 in a
monastery
in Germany
by
Poggio Bracciolini, and it played an important role both in the development
of atomism (Lucretius
was an important influence on
Pierre Gassendi) and the efforts of various figures of the Enlightenment era
to construct a new
Christian humanism." - Wikipedia.
Lucretius:
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern
M
Marius the Epicurean: His Sensations and Ideas
Meliorism
We can make adjustments and improvements to our natural world to improve our
lives. Techo-progressivism. William James was a meliorist.
The Methods of Ethics.
Mill,
John Stuart (1806-1873) Information:
Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
English philosopher, political economist, utilitarian proponent, and public
servant.
Mill,
John Stuart.
The Basic Writings of John Stuart Mill: On Liberty, the Subjection of Women, and
Utilitarianism. Introduction by J. B. Schneewind, and commentary by
Dale E. Miller. New York, Modern Library, 2002. 400 pages.
ISBN: 9780375759185. VSCL.
Moderation Quotations, Sayings, Notes
compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Moral Darwinism: How We Became Hedonists
The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values. By Sam
Harris. New York, Free Press, 2010. Index, references, notes, 307
pages. ISBN: 9781439171226. VSCL.
The Morality of Happiness
N
New
Epicurean. Resources, lists, quotations, comparisons.
A New Guide to Rational Living.
Nicomachean Ethics
Nicomachean Ethics
Nietzsche, Frederick
Wilhelm (1844 – 1900) - Wikipedia Nietzsche was a scholar of Greek and
Latin, familiar with Greco-Roman culture and philosophy. Plagued by poor
health all of his short life, he nevertheless wrote many essays and books.
His style of writing is engaging, insightful, bold, persuasive, imaginative, and
he has keen sense of the bourgeois German culture of the late 19th century.
His thoughts and opinions can hold us spellbound at times. The Greek sense
of excellence for a persons function in life, free thinking, high standards,
enjoyment of life, dignity, will, no gods needed, heroes, work, courage ...
sounds like the issues raised by Epircureans.
Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm (1844-1900)
The Portable Nietzsche.
Nietzsche,
Frederick Wilhelm (1844-1900).
Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy,
Wikipedia
Encyclopedia, Internet
Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Nietzsche and Epicurean Philosophy. By A. H. J. Knight,
Philosophy: Vol. 8, No. 32, October 1933, pp. 431-445.
Nietzsche, Rand,
and the Ethics of the Great Task, by Peter Saint-Andre, 2009.
The Norms of Nature: Studies in Hellenistic Ethics
Notebooks of an Old
Philosopher Notes by Mike Garofalo. Lot's ruminations and
research on the senses, hands, body-mind arts, somaesthetics, and virtures.
Part of the Hypertext Notebooks Series.
Novels, Plays, Characters with a Hedonistic Attitude or
Philosophy
O
Oikeiôsis:
self-preservation, belonging to oneself, orientation, affinity, familiar, home,
family, things close to one's heart. A key term in Stoic developmental
psychology. Also implies working on developing a better sense of
interconnectedness with widening circles of beings.
On Desire: Why We Want What We Want
One Old
Daoist Druid's Final Journey Research by Mike Garofalo in
Neo-Paganism.
Onfray, Michel. Michel Onfray is a French philosopher and public
intellectual who founded and teaches at the free Popular University of Caen. He
has written more than sixty books in French, many of them best sellers.
Two books translated into English:
Atheist Manifesto: The Case Against Christianity, Judaism, and Islam,
2011.
A Hedonist Manifesto: The Power to Exist,
2015. I wish more of his books were translated from French into
English.
The Oxford History of Greece
and the Hellenistic World
P
Managing Pain Before It Manages You. By Margaret A. Caudill.
Guilford Press, 3rd Edition, 2008. 272 pages. ISBN: 978-1593859824.
Mental Health Problems
- Self Help Methods
Pain and Pleasure: A Study of Bodily Feelings. By
Thomas Szasz. Syracuse University Press, 1988, 2nd Edition. 303
pages. ISBN: 978-0815602309.
The Pain Survival Guide: How to Reclaim Your Life. By Dennis C. Turk,
Ph.D. American Psychological Association, 2005. 203 pages.
ISBN: 978-1591470496.
Reducing Pain Through
Exercise, Massage, Yoga, Walking, Qigong
Pater, Walter
(1939-1894)
Perception,
Sensations, Impressions, The Five Senses Quotations, bibliography,
links, resources, notes, and research compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Peripatetic School.
In 335 BCE, Aristotle began teaching in the area at the
Lyceum in Athens,
Greece. Philosophers, many followers of Aristotle, continued to walk and
meet at the Lyceum for many centuries, until around 200 CE. The school of
Aristotle, the Aristotelians, followers of Aristotle's approach to developing a
philosophy of life for yourself and expanding your knowledge.
Philodemus "Philodemus
of Gadara (110 - 35 BCE). A Hellenistic Epicurean philosopher and poet. He
studied under Zeno
of Sidon in Athens, before moving to Rome, and then to Herculaneum. He was
once known chiefly for his poetry preserved in the Greek
Anthology, but since the 18th century, many writings of his have been
discovered among the charred papyrus rolls at the Villa
of the Papyri at Herculaneum.
The task of excavating and deciphering these rolls is difficult, and work
continues to this day.
The Ethics of Philodemus
A
Philosopher's Notebooks by Mike Garofalo
The Philosophical Garden
Website. Encountering Ideas in the Midst of the Natural World.
This website has a particular focus on the ancient Greek philosophical
tradition. Of special interest is the significance of Epicurean philosophy
from antiquity to the present day.
Philosophy: An Introduction Through Literature
Philosophy as a Way of Life: Ancients and Moderns - Essays in Honor of Pierre Hadot
Philosophy as a Way of Life: Spiritual Exercises from Socrates to Foucault
Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations: Ancient Philosophy for Modern Problems
Philosophy Talk: Community of
Thinkers
Plato (427 - 347 BCE) Information:
Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy, Wikipedia
Encyclopedia, Internet Encyclopedia
of Philosophy
Plato. The Collected Dialogues of Plato, Including the Letters.
Edited by Edith Hamilton and Huntington Cairns. With an Introduction and
Prefatory Notes. New York, Pantheon Books, 1961. Bollingen Series,
LXXI. 14 different translators are used in this collection. Detailed
index, 743 pages. LCN: 61-11758. VSCL.
Play,
Games, Pretending Quotations, sayings, recommended reading, and
notes compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Pleasure. By Alexander Lowen, M.D.. Bioenergetics Press, 2006.
258 pages. ISBN: 978-0974373720.
Pleasure: A Creative Approach to Life. By Alexander Lowen.
Alexander Lowen Foundation, 2013. 270 pages. ISBN: 978-1938485107.
Pleasure and Desire: The Case of Hedonism Reviewed
Pleasure and the Good Life: Concerning the Nature, Varieties, and Plausibility of Hedonism.
Pleasure in Ancient Greek Philosophy.
By David Wolfsdorf. Cambridge University Press, 2013. Index, reading
list, 299 pages.
Key Themes in Ancient Philosophy Series. ISBN: 978-0521149754. VSCL.
By Gene Wallenstein. Wiley, 2008. 256 pages. ISBN:
9780471619154.
The Pleasure Prescription: To Love, To Work and to Play - Life in the Balance
By Paul Pearsall. Hunter House Publications, 1996. 280 pages.
ISBN: 9780897932073.
Pleasures, Delight,
Satisfaction, Enjoyment Quotations, sayings, recommended
reading, and notes compiled by Mike Garofalo.
The Pleasures All Mine: A History of Perverse Sex. By Julie Peakman.
Reaktion Books, 2013. 472 pages. ISBN: 978-1780231853.
Pleasures and Pains: A Theory of Qualitative Hedonism
Pleasures of the Brain.
The Portable Hannah Arendt. By Hannah Arendt (1906-1975).
Edited with an introduction by Peter Baehr. New York, Penguin Classics, Reissue Edition, 2000.
575 pages. ISBN: 978-0142437568. VSCL.
Practical Ethics. By Peter Singer. Cambridge University Press,
1980, 3rd Edition, 2011. Index, notes, references, 356 pages. ISBN: 9780521707688. VSCL.
Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions. By
Dan Ariely. Revised and expanded edition. Harper Perennial, 2010.
384 pages. ISBN: 978-0061353246. VSCL.
The Present Alone is Our Happiness, Second Edition: Conversations with Jeannie Carlier and Arnold I. Davidson.
Pretending, Games, Play, Fun
Quotations, sayings, recommended reading, and notes compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Principal Doctrines of Epicureanism
Psychological
Egoism - Wikipedia
Psychological Egoism - Internet
Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Psychological Egoism - Google Search
Psychology
The Albert Ellis Reader: A Guide to Well-Being Using Rational Emotive Behavior
Therapy
Mental Health Problems
- Self Help Methods
A New Guide to Rational Living.
On Becoming a Person: A Therapist's View of Psychotherapy. By Carl R.
Rogers. Introduction by Pete D. Kramer. Boston, Houghton Mifflin
Co., 1961, 1995. Index, bibliography, 420 pages. ISBN: 039575531X.
VSCL.
The Psychology of Quality of Life: Hedonic Well-Being, Life Satisfaction, and Eudaimonia.
Pulling Onions.
Over 866 quips, saying, jokes, observations, aphorisms, and remarks by Mike
Garofalo.
Pursuits of Wisdom: Six Ways of Life in Ancient Philosophy from Socrates to Plotinus
Pyrrhonism: How the Ancient Greeks Reinvented Buddhism.
By Adrian Kuzminski. Lexington Books, 2010. 170 pages. ISBN:
978-0739125076.
R
Rational Egoism
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Rational Egoism -
Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Reasons and the Good
Religion and Atheism
Notes, recommended reading, and personal opinions of Mike Garofalo.
Rendezvous with the Sensuous: Readings on Aesthetics
Resolve, Willpower, Determination,
Perseverance Quotations,
sayings, recommended reading, and notes compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Retreat, Solitude, Silence, Calmness Quotations, sayings,
recommended reading, and notes compiled by Mike Garofalo.
S
The Science of Pleasure: Cosmos and Psyche in the Bourgeois World View
Screw the Roses, Send Me the Thorns: The Romance and Sexual Sorcery of
Sadomasochism. By Philip Miller and Molly Devon. Mystic Rose Books,
1995. 277 pages. ISBN: 9780964596009. VSCL.
Seasons, Months
Compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Seeing, Vision, Perception,
Looking. Quotes, sayings, facts, lore, and information compiled
by Mike Garofalo. From the Hypertext Notebooks of Mike Garofalo.
Sensation, Perception,
The Five Senses Quotations, bibliography, links, resources, notes, and
research compiled by Mike Garofalo.
A Sensual Soul. By Charles de Saint-Evremond. Translated by Kirk
Watson. 116 pages. Kindle Digital: B0170AKDPO.
Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll: The Rise of American's 1960s Counterculture.
By Robert Cottrell. Rowman and Littlefield Pubs., 2015. 452 pages.
ISBN: 9781442246065.
By Roger Scruton. Bloomsbury Academic, 2006. 448 pages. ISBN:
978-0826480385.
Sexual Pleasures, Carnal Alchemy, Tantrics, Sexually Experimental
Seven Pleasures: Essays on Ordinary Happiness
The Shape of Ancient Thought: Comparative Studies in Greek and Indian
Philosophies
The Sceptics. By R. J. Hankinson. London, Routledge, 1995.
Arguments of the Philosopher's Series. General index, index of works
cited, bibliography, notes, 376 pages. ISBN: 0415184460. Excellent
introduction! Exposition and arguments of the ancient sceptics: Pyrrhonism
and Melagarism. Detailed and authoritative survey of Greek and Hellenistic
skeptics. VSCL.
Sharing, Generosity, Giving. Quotations, sayings, recommended reading,
and notes compiled by Mike Garofalo.
by Leo Babauta
Simplicity, Frugality, Uncomplicated. Quotations, sayings, recommended
reading, and notes compiled by Mike Garofalo.
A Small Treatise on the Great Virtues: The Uses of Philosophy in Everyday Life
Smelling, Scent.
Quotes, sayings, facts, lore, and information compiled by Mike Garofalo.
From the Hypertext Notebooks of Mike Garofalo.
Society of the Friends of Epicurus
A variety of resources and shared experiences and ideas.
Socratic Logic: A Logic Text using Socratic Method, Platonic Questions, and
Aristotelian Principles, Edition 3.1
Solitude, Retreat,
Silence, Calmness
Quotations, sayings, recommended reading, and notes compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Somatics, Somaesthetics, The
Human Body. Notes, bibliography, guides, and research by Mike
Garofalo.
The Spirit of Gardening.
Over 3,500 quotations arranged by over 150 topics. Compiled by Mike
Garofalo.
Spontaneity, Flexibility, Impulsive - Quotations
The Stoic and Epicurean Philosophers: The Complete Extant Writings of Epicurus,
Epictetus, Lucretius, and Marcus Aurelius
Stoicism. By John Sellars. University of California Press, 2006.
219 pages. Ancient Philosophies Series, Book 1. ISBN:
978-0520249080.
Sweeping Changes: Discovering the Joy of Zen in Everyday Tasks by Gary Thorp
Symbolist Movement in
Art and Literature
T
Tantra:
Bibliography, Links, Resources
Tantra: Hedonism in Indian Culture
Taoism
and the Tao Te Ching
Compilations and research by Mike Garofalo. A typical webpage created by
Mike Garofalo for each one of the 81 Chapters (Verses, Sections) of the Tao
Te Ching (Daodejing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) includes over 25 different English
language translations or interpolations for that Chapter, 5 Spanish language
translations for that Chapter, the Chinese characters for that Chapter, the
Wade-Giles and Hanyu Pinyin transliterations (Romanization) of the Mandarin
Chinese words for that Chapter, and 2 German and 1 French translation of that
Chapter. Each webpage for each one of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te
Ching includes extensive indexing by
key words, phrases, and terms for that Chapter in English, Spanish, and the
Wade-Giles Romanization. Each webpage on a Chapter of the Daodejing includes
recommended reading in books and websites, a detailed bibliography, some
commentary, research leads, translation sources, a Google Translate drop down
menu, and other resources for that Chapter.
Tasting, Flavors, Eating. Quotes, sayings, facts, lore, and
information compiled by Mike Garofalo. From the Hypertext Notebooks of
Mike Garofalo.
Tending the Epicurean Garden
- Hiram Crespo, Tending the Epicurean Garden, 2014,
Summary
and Reviews
The Ten Golden Rules: Ancient Wisdom from the Greek Philosophers on Living
the Good Life. By M.S. Soupios and Panos Mourdoukoutas.
Charlottsville, Virginia, Hampton
Roads Pub., 2009. 128 pages. Both authors are professors at Long
Island University, C. W. Post Campus. ISBN: 9781571746054. VSCL.
Thankfulness, Appreciation, Cheerfulness, Gratitude Quotations,
sayings, recommended reading, and notes
compiled by Mike Garofalo.
The Therapy of Desire: Theory and Practice in Hellenistic Ethics.
Thinking Critically.
Time and the Art of Living
Time, the Familiar Stranger
Touching, Feeling,
Sensations, Hands. Quotes, Sayings, Facts, Information, and Charts
compiled by Mike Garofalo. From the Hypertext Notebooks of Mike
Garofalo.
The Tradition of Political Hedonism from Hobbes to J. S. Mill
Tranquility (Atraxia), Serenity, Peace of Mind:
Quotations, sayings, poems, observations. Compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Travels with Epicurus: A Journey to a Greek Island in Search of a Fulfilled Life
Troubled Pleasures: Writings on Politics, Gender and Hedonism. By Kate
Soper. Verso, 1990. 302 pages. ISBN: 978-0860915362.
U
Unforbidden Pleasures. By Adam Phillips. Farrar, Straus and
Giroux, 2016. 208 pages. ISBN: 978-0374278021.
Utilitarianism -
Wikipedia Encyclopedia,
Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy,
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Utilitarianism.
Jeremy Bentham, 15 February 1748 - 6 June 1832, was a British philosopher,
jurist, and social reformer. "He is regarded as the founder of modern
utilitarianism. He strongly endorsed acting on the principle that "it is
the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and
wrong." He became a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law,
and a political radical whose ideas influenced the development of
welfarism.
He advocated
individual and
economic freedom, the
separation of church and state,
freedom of expression, equal rights for women, the right to divorce, and the
decriminalising of homosexual acts. He called for the
abolition of slavery, the abolition of the
death penalty, and the abolition of
physical punishment, including that of children. He has also become
known in recent years as an early advocate of
animal rights. Though strongly in favour of the extension of
individual legal rights, he opposed the idea of
natural
law and
natural rights, calling them "nonsense upon stilts". Bentham's
students included his secretary and collaborator
James Mill,
the latter's son,
John Stuart Mill, the legal philosopher
John Austin, as well as
Robert
Owen, one of the founders of
utopian socialism." - Wikipedia
Utilitarianism.
Bentham, Jeremy
Principles of Morals and Legislation, 1789.
Utilitarianism.
Bentham, Jeremy (1748-1832) Information:
Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy,
Wikipedia Encyclopedia,
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Utilitarianism.
The Cambridge Companion to Utilitarianism. By Ben Eggleston and Dale
E. Miller. Cambridge University Press, 2014. 406 pages. ISBN:
9780521604819.
Utilitarianism, Hedonism, and Desert: Essays in Moral Philosophy.
Utilitarianism.
John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) Information:
Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
English philosopher, political economist, utilitarian proponent, and public
servant.
Utilitarianism.
John Stuart Mill.
The Basic Writings of John Stuart Mill: On Liberty, the Subjection of Women, and
Utilitarianism. Introduction by J. B. Schneewind, and commentary by
Dale E. Miller. New York, Modern Library, 2002. Index, notes, 400 pages.
ISBN: 9780375759185. VSCL.
Utilitarianism,
On Liberty and Other Essays (Oxford World's Classics)
V
Virtue Ethics By
Mike Garofalo.
Virtues and the Good Life Website. Quotations,
Sayings, Notes compiled by Mike Garofalo. From the Hypertext Notebooks of Mike
Garofalo.
Vitality, Vigor, Grit, Enthusiasm - Quotations
Voluntary Simplicity by Duane Elgin
VSCL = Valley Spirit Center Library, Red Bluff, California, Library of Michael
P. Garofalo
W
Walking Pleasures
The Way Of The Good Hedonist
Well Being and Fitness: Bibliography, Links, Resources, Lessons
Website by Mike Garofalo.
What Is Ancient Philosophy?
What Is Good and Why: The Ethics of Well-Being
What Is This Thing Called Happiness?
Willpower, Determination, Resolve, Perseverance Quotations,
sayings, recommended reading, and notes compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Wisdom of Catius' Cat. Comics by
Cassius Amicus.
The Wisdom of Pleasures: "The School of Voluptuousness" and "The Art of Enjoyment."
Aristippus,
from Cyrene, Libya
(435 BCE – 356 BCE)
Y
Yang Zhu's Garden of Pleasure: The Philosophy of Individuality. Edited
by Rosemary Brant. Astrolog Pub., 2006. 128 pages. ISBN:
9789654942065.
Yang Zhu, Master Yang,
Chinese Philosopher, Yang Zi, 440–360 BCE. Ethical Egoist,
hedonist, Epicurean. "Each for himself" or "wei wo."
Yang Zhu - Ancient History
Encyclopedia
Yangism "Yangism has been described as a form of
psychological and ethical
egoism. The Yangist philosophers believed in the importance of maintaining self-interest through
"keeping one's nature intact, protecting one's uniqueness, and not letting the
body be tied by other things." Disagreeing with the Confucian virtues of li (propriety), ren (humaneness),
and yi (righteousness)
and the Legalist virtue
of fa (law), the Yangists saw wei wo, or "everything for myself," as the only
virtue necessary for self-cultivation. Individual pleasure is considered
desirable, like in hedonism,
but not at the expense of the health of individual. The Yangists saw
individual well-being as the prime purpose of life, and considered anything that
hindered that well-being immoral and unnecessary."
The Year of Pleasures: A Novel
Z
Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu, Zhuang Zhou, Master Chuang, Kwang-dze) 369—286 BCE Compiled by Mike Garofalo.
Epicureans, Hedonists,
Cyrenaics,
Free Thought, Skeptical, Liberal, Individualists
Secular, Scientific, Humanistic, Non-Religious, and Utilitarian Thinkers
Chronology
Brihaspati (600 BCE) Information: Charvaka Lokayatika School
Aristippus of Cyrene (435–356 BCE) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Lao Tzu (450 BCE) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Yang Zhu (440-360 BCE) Information: Ancient History Encyclopedia, Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Aristotle (384–322 BCE) Information: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Wikipedia Encyclopedia, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Epicurus (341-270 BCE) Information: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Wikipedia Encyclopedia, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Titus Lucretius Carus (99-55 BCE) Information: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Wikipedia Encyclopedia, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Sextus Empiricus (160-210 CE) Information: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Al-Ma'arri (973-1057) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Pierre Gassendi (1592-1655) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
John Locke (1602-1734) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Anne Ninon de l'Enclos (1620-1705) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Jean Meslier (1664-1729) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Julien Offray de La Mettrie (1709-1751) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Baron D'Holbach (1723-1789) Information: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) Information: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Wikipedia Encyclopedia, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) Information: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Charles Darwin (1809-1882) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Karl Marx (1818-1883) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Frederick Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844–1900) Information
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
John Dewey (1859-1952) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Carl Rogers (1902-1987) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Albert Ellis (1913-2007) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Murray Bookchin (1921-2016) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
José Saramago (1922-2010) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Hugh Hefner (1926-) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Jonathan Miller (1934-) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Woody Allen (1935-) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Richard Dawkins (1941-) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
David Bowie (1947-2016) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Michel Onfray (1959-) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Sam Harris (1967-) Information: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
I share many of the philosophical and non-religious views so persuasively and emphatically expressed by Dan Barker, Jeremy Bentham, Luther Burbank, André Comte-Sponville, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, John Dewey, Albert Ellis, Epicurus, A.C. Grayling, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Baron d'Holbach, David Hume, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Ingersoll, Paul Kurtz, Corliss Lamont, John Stuart Mill, Friedrich Nietzsche, Thomas Paine, Madalyn Murray O'Hair, Michel Onfray, Ayn Rand, Richard Rorty, Bertrand Russell, Carl Sagan, Friedrich Schleirmacher, Baruch Spinoza, George Smith, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and many other intelligent, hard working, courageous, forthright, dynamic, honest, fulfilled, and wise persons. These free-thinkers give me hope! Many, but not all, favored Epicurean and Hedonistic viewpoints. These persons often had different political and social viewpoints. All were and non-religious or atheists. Most were materialists.
Don't Be Misled by the Name-Calling Haters of Hedonism
| Insults, Aspersions, Misconceptions, Lies, Epithets, Falsehoods, Name-Calling, Untruths, or Red-Herring Fallacies, About Hedonism |
Hedonistic, Epicurean, Skeptical and Utilitarian Views and Possible Responses |
|
|
|
| Selfish pleasures |
Mutual enjoyment and cooperation are essential
to a happy life. Total selfishness significantly reduces your
options for obtaining security, friendships, peace of mind, and a wide
range of dignified pleasures. Pleasures and delight are enhanced
by sharing. |
| Piggish behavior, boorish |
We are not pigs; but pigs and humans are
animals. Animals have feelings, enjoy pleasure, and avoid pain
just as we do. Putting down pigs is a favorite ritualistic pastime
of Jews and Muslims. Human beings enjoy a far wider range of
pleasures than many animals. Pigs, like humans, are omnivorous─and
when hungry will eat most anything. Universal education, frequent
reading, common courtesy, and good manners will help reduce boorishness. |
| Sexual licentiousness |
Sexual and loving relationships between
consenting adults are enjoyed by people everywhere. Some people
are very fearful and neurotic about enjoying sexual pleasures, but most
people are not. Hedonists don't advocate licentiousness. |
| Crude and dirty | To overcome "dirtiness": take a bath, wear clean clothes,
and clean your house. I don't find most Epicureans any "cruder"
than the average educated and cultured Jane or Joe. Many people
lack sophistication and education, and speak and act in a "crude"
manner; but, if they are not harming others, I just mind my own business
and leave them alone. Some stuffy Puritan and rigid types believe
many ordinary behaviors are "crude and dirty." Social customs vary
greatly─so when in Oregon do as the Oregonians do. |
| Ungodly | We are humans, not imaginary supernatural
beings. Yes, many Hedonists are non-religious or atheists; some
are not. There are
numerous New
Age or ancient spirituality and positive somatic practices that appeal
to Hedonists. |
| Unbridled sensuality | We learn via our
senses, we
manage our sensual experiences, we are practical and reasonable about
the degree and extent of our sensual pleasures, and we avoid pain and
discomfort. Yes, we enjoy and take delight in sensual pleasures of
all kinds, from the simple (drinking clean water) to very complex
(walking in a beautiful garden, listening to Mozart). We are not
horses that need a bridle in our teeth, so as to be led around and
overworked by owners. A smart and sensible Hedonist knows the
dangers of overindulgence in dangerous pleasurable activities─they think
long run.
|
| Not a Christian, Muslim or Jew | Be a freethinker, reject spurious theology,
avoid the self-serving lies and misconceptions of religious leaders,
acknowledge the pernicious effects of organized religion.
Followers of these religions are typically anti-body, anti-sensual,
fearful, neurotic about petty and arbitrary rules, submissive, and
obsessed with other worldly fictions.
You don't need to believe or
practice these religions to be a good or happy person. These
religions have historically despised and persecute hedonists, violators
of the creeds, non-conformists, advocates of pleasure and delight.
|
| A mere pleasure seeker | There are many kinds of activities that produce
pleasure and delight, both mental and physical. If an activity
produces little or no pleasure, or pain, then stop doing that activity. Hedonists do seek of maximize pleasure
and delight in the long run─merely a sensible objective.
Some people are merely pain,
discomfort, and unhappiness seekers─pessimists, paranoids, neurotics,
depressives. To believe that Hedonists are only gluttons, drug
addicts, and sexual compulsives is a completely false view.
|
| Wallow in pleasure | Swimming or relaxing in a hot tub is
pleasurable, enjoyable, fun. Swimming and playing in the warm sea
is a delight. Wallow away! I guess some prudes don't want to
take their clothes off to enjoy these simple pleasures, but I will take
wallowing in a hot shower anytime.
|
| Chastity is best | If you like being chaste, then fine, enjoy that
experience. Do what you want to do, your not hurting
anyone by chastity, masturbating, or enjoying sexual relations.
Ascetics like the calmness and uncomplicated lifestyle of chastity - but
to think this is ideal and best is an opinion shared by few.
|
| Hedonists get diseases | Everyone is subject to getting diseases and
dying─no exceptions. Use sound medical science to
learn about diseases and prevent them. Be trim, fit, and healthy
and enjoy your life. Support medical and social measures to reduce
the occurrence of diseases and the suffering and pain they can bring.
|
| A sinner, immoral, bad, evil | Every religion has different conceptions of
sinful behavior. It is best not to rely on a religious persons
definition of "sin," or bother with such wishy-washy and divergent
moral/social fancies. Not following another persons
rules and regulations when they provide you with no pleasure or pain
seems a sensible alternative. Some people believe
everyone is born sinful, unworthy, and prone to evil; but, the facts of
life don't support such nonsense.
|
| Disgusting | Simple pleasures are "disgusting" only to
persons who have distorted views about human bodies,
pleasure haters, or have very limited experiences with refined and
elevating pleasures and delights.
Disgusting events usually produce discomfort, revulsion, anxiety, or
pain─and are avoided by hedonists.
|
| Lazy Lotus Eater | Honest labor is often very pleasurable and
satisfying. Just about everyone works for a living.
Hedonists are
not lazy. "Lotus Eater" I assume refers to using recreational
drugs. Any intelligent person knows that drug
addictions might ruin your mind, destroy your good health, and even kill
you─and all hedonists try to avoid pain,
suffering, and death. Marx called religion the "opiate for the
masses"─and priests an imams manufacture
lotus opiates for dummies.
|
| Libertine | An aspersion for somebody priests,
preachers, and imams don't like.
Libertines
revolted in Geneva in 1555 against the theocratic rule of John Calvin.
Hedonists do favor liberty and
privacy; they do not support lying, murder, stealing, criminal activity,
debauchery without a conscience, recklessness, etc. Hedonists
might be anti-establishment depending upon the situation and degree of
oppression; but non-hedonists also use violence for their ends.
|
| Self-centered | Most people are concerned about themselves,
their well being, their health, and their loved ones. Friendship
is a central core value for hedonists because of the pleasure and
security provided to all parties. A poorly developed sense of self
is likely to produce uneasiness, slavishness, sadness, and pain.
|
| Shameful | Pleasures, delights, satisfaction, contentment,
happiness, peace of mind ... these are not "shameful." Shaming is
frequently a a concern of sexual pleasure haters, rigid believers,
puritans─not hedonists. Murdering someone is shameful; enjoying a
cold glass of wine and a vegetarian casserole is not shameful.
Hedonists are a good deal more sophisticated and precise than those
playing the shame game.
|
| Unrealistic | Hedonists support experience,
science, reasoning, facts, skepticism, and practicality. Most
hedonists are materialists and naturalists. Most hedonists don't
believe in supernatural fancies, magic, mysticism, myths, and miracles.
|
| Cowards | Hedonists favor minding their own
business, Wu
Wei, and try to minimize the need for arguing, fighting, and
killing. Epicureans tended to favor small and agreeable
communities, political disengagement, and they eschewed political and
religious violence. They are often skeptical of political nonsense
and blind patriotism. When their backs are against the wall, like
most folks, they can be quite courageous fighters. Glorifying
violence, destruction, pain, and suffering is not part of their creed;
but, reasonable self-defense is not rejected.
|
| Childish | Many pleasures we enjoyed as children do
provide the same delights to adults. Many experiences that are
harmless, fun, delightful, and invigorating are enjoyed by adults and
children. Don't put down children; enjoy life with them.
|
| You will go to hell | When you die, it is over for you─no body, no
consciousness. When your dead you will not experience pleasures or
pains─what was "you" has vanished. Hell is a fiction anyway.
Many religious people use
intimidation, threats and fear to coerce you to follow their
arbitrary orders─pain and punishment are their boring and tiresome games.
|
| Profligates | Some hedonists are profligates, most are not.
Some people are excessive in their pursuits of pleasure or pain for
themselves or others─unwisely. Hedonists recognize and limit
excessive behaviors.
|
| Animalistic
|
Yes, we are animals; hardly a great insight.
Humans are often worse than animals in causing pain and destruction.
Before Charles Darwin the common opinion was that human beings have
rational and spiritual powers, were created specially by a Divine Being,
and men (maybe not women) were not animals despite obvious evidence to the contrary.
Comparing a person you don't like to some animal you don't like or fear is a
common weak insult.
|
| Tasteless |
"De gustibus non est disputandum" ... In matters of taste, there can be
no dispute. One man's meat is another man's poison.
Nevertheless, despite aphorisms to the contrary, I do believe that reasonable distinctions and judgments can be
made about values and matters of "taste." However, in the end,
what is chosen by the individual depends upon personal preferences,
education, upbringing, wealth, and opportunity. I like to read philosophy,
garden, eat Northwest cuisine, listen to mellow jazz, and play taijiquan; while other seniors
like to watch NASCAR on television, gamble at the local casino, shop at
WalMart, swoon over Garth Brooks, and eat
at McDonalds. Que sera, sera!
|
Hedonism
in Fictional Works
Also: Epicureans, Cynics, Cyrenaics, Skeptics, Peripatetics (Aristotelians) in
Fiction
Novels, Plays, Television, Movies, Stories, Fables, Poems, Magazines
Novels
Against Nature by Joris-Karl Huys, 1884. Epicurean.
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, 1957. Aristotelian.
Brave New World by Aldos Huxley, 1932.
Dangerous Liaisons by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, 1782
Epicurean by Thomas Moore, 1857. Epicurean.
Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1926.
Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann, 1929.
Marius the Epicurean by Walter Pater, 1885. Epicurean.
Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, 1890.
Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust, 1926.
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, 1926.
Ulysses by James Joyce, 1922. Epicurean.
Characters in Fictional Works or Television Programs or Motion
Pictures
Essays on Hedonism in Literature or Film
Feeling Like a Stoic: Doris Lessing
"The following are ten basic ethical tenets of Epicureanism – how should we live? What is the goal of living? How should we pursue that goal?
1. Don’t be concerned about “gods” – supernatural beings do not exist, and even if there are any “perfect” higher beings they are not concerned with mankind. The only way to dismiss superstition and fear from life is to live intelligently, and therefore confidently, and this requires that we study the world around us (and science) and employ the faculties of observation given us by Nature (the Epicurean Canon of Truth).
2. Pleasurable living is the ultimate goal of life set by nature. We can do this by filling our lives with good things, avoiding pain, studying nature and striving for safety and independence. This implies avoiding people who are disagreeable and who cause you fear, anxiety or displeasure.
3. Even if you are not able to rid yourself of all pain and anxiety, pleasurable living is possible. Strong pain generally lasts a short time, and even of it lasts a long time, it is generally mild. This implies that in difficult times one should try to be patient, for most bad things pass.
4. It is possible for us to attain the maximum pleasure if we pursue it intelligently. This implies thinking, not just about yourself, but about the interests and pleasure of others as well.
5. No pleasure is bad in itself, but some pleasures bring more pain than the pleasure justifies. And no single pleasure should be pursued to the point where it consumes our lives, because if it did so there would never be any room for any other pleasures. This implies moderation in all things.
6. “Virtue” is simply the name we give to the necessary tools by which pleasurable living can be attained. It is not possible to live pleasurably without these tools, nor is it possible to employ these tools properly without living pleasurably.
7. Men can live wisely and pursue pleasure intelligently because they are free agents and their actions are not wholly determined by outside force.
8. If we live wisely we will see that our most important tool of happiness and security is friendship with people of like mind, attitude and loyalty.
9. The only true foundation of Justice is mutually advantageous agreement among intelligent beings to neither do or receive harm from each other. This implies putting the emphasis on compromise where necessary, peace of mind, and the avoidance of unnecessary antagonism and the stress it brings.
10. While there is no such thing as absolute or universal justice or injustice, the justice we can enjoy is founded on mutually advantageous agreements. This implies that relationships that change over time and become less mutually advantageous can be considered no longer just."
Epicurus Today Blog: Moderation, Enjoyment of Life, Tranquility, Friendship, Lack of Fear. By Robert Hanrott. 2016
Recommended Reading List
Hedonism, Epicurean, Aristotelian, Egoism, Utilitarian
Although the focus of this webpage is on the Hedonists and Epicureans, and the majority of the
books and essays listed in the above bibliography
are about Hedonism, I have also included books and articles about the other
Hellenistic philosophies that Hedonists or Epicureans were familiar with and even admired.
Since the above bibliography is somewhat comprehensive, and includes books that I have
not as yet read, I thought it might be beneficial to others if I gave some
suggestions as to some of the "best" books that I have read on the subject of
Hedonism and Epicureanism and related subjects. Persons just beginning to explore the
Hedonists might find the following books useful to them.
These paperbound books are also available in hardbound, digital formats for ebook readers, and from numerous used book sellers.
Here are my first recommendations for good books to read about Hedonism:
How to be an Epicurean: The Ancient Art of Living Well. By Catherine Wilson, Ph.D. New York, Basic Books, 2019. 293 pages, notes. I think that Professor Catherine Wilson has a through understanding of Epicurean history and philosophy. She provides many key insights into how to we might reflect on our lives today, using Epicurean ideas and principles. Her writing is clear, balanced, and uplifting. VSCL.
A Hedonist Manifesto By Michel Onfray. Translated and with a good
introduction by Joseph McClellan. Columbia University Press, 2015. 232 pages.
Insurrections: Critical Studies in Religion, Politics, and Culture. ISBN:
978-0231171267. Michel
Onfray (1959-) is a French philosopher and public intellectual who founded
and teaches at the free Popular University of Caen. He has written more
than sixty books in French, many of them best sellers. His writing style
is rich with comparisons and philosophical references, contemporary in scope,
and for the advanced and knowledgeable reader. Generally, he does not use of obtuse philosophical jargon
like you might encounter in Merleau-Ponty, Heidegger, Foucault,
or Sartre. I find his critical and skeptical thinking quite insightful and convincing.
He discusses art, bioethics, the body, politics, and intellectual history. The book
begins with a detailed discussion of his very negative experiences in a Catholic Salesian orphanage, and his uncaring mother. He exposes
the the philosophical underpinnings of non-Hedonistic or anti-Hedonist views.
He is an articulate atheist in the French tradition. He is excellent in
criticism; however, I don't find
is presentation of the positive values of Hedonism very rich with examples and
details─maybe that is found in his other books. There are some of his
lifestyle recommendations that I
personally don't favor, just as preferences, not based on ethical objections.
His distain for America seems lopsided. He favors individual changes,
small communities, minimalist government, a libertarian utilitarianism.
Unfortunately, only two of his books have been translated into English. I have the E-book Kindle version, VSCL.
Epicurus and the Pleasant Life: A Philosophy of Nature. By Haris
Dimitriadis. 1st Edition, 2017. 516 pages. ISBN:
978-9609384568. Also EBook format. VSCL.
The Art of Happiness.
Pursuits of Wisdom: Six Ways of Life in Ancient Philosophy from Socrates to Plotinus
Happiness: A History
Lucretius: The Way Things Are: The Way Things Are: The De Rerum Natura of Titus Lucretius Carus
Cloud Hands Blog. By
Michael P. Garofalo. Over 2,400 indexed posts on well being, philosophy, somaesthetics, taijiquan, qigong, walking, gardening, yoga, Taoism,
hedonism, and
spirituality. Over 1.4 million page views as of 9/24/2020.
Michael P. Garofalo, A Brief Biography
Green Way Research, Vancouver, Washington
This webpage was last edited, expanded, revised, modified or updated on August
23, 2020.
This webpage was first distributed online on October 13, 2015.
Created by Michael P. Garofalo, Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Vancouver, Washington, © 20206 CCA 4.0
The Hypertext Notebooks of Mike Garofalo
