Epicurus and the Foundation of Epicureanism

1. Read the following collection of sayings attributable to ancient Greek philosophers at http://sqapo(dot)com/ancientgreeks.htm (Links to an external site.)
2. Read excerpts from the writings of Epicurus at http://www(dot)thenagain(dot)info/Classes/Sources/Epicurus.html (Links to an external site.)
3. Sophie's World: chapter entitled “The Garden of Eden” through and including “Fate” -- pages may vary depending on version of book you have.
After completing the readings, choose a quote that you want to investigate and discuss. Review the information in the textbooks about the philosopher and his philosophy. Think about the quote and its meaning. How does the quote express and/or relate to the larger philosophical themes discussed in the textbooks? Think also about your response to the quote. Finally, write and post your 2-paragraph essay answering these questions (as per the instructions in the Syllabus) on or before Thursday.
Please note the following general guidelines.
1. Your first essay submission must be at least 300 words. I would note that the quote itself DOES not count towards the 300-word minimum.
2. Your first essay post must have two distinct paragraphs (described below).
a. Your first paragraph must be at least 200 words.
b. Your second paragraph must be at least 100 words.
3. Your first post must be made on or before Thursday at 11:59pm.
4. The first lines of your essay post must be the typed out quote you have chosen followed by the book name and page number on which the quote is found.
Advice for the 1st paragraph of your essay
The goal of the first paragraph is to answer these questions:
Who is the philosopher you are quoting?
When did this philosopher live and what were the important historical events/developments that influenced the philosopher?
What are the main emphases of this philosopher and what were his major philosophical teachings?
How does the quote illustrate the main emphases and concerns of the philosopher?
This is how I would structure my first paragraph if I were writing the essay
First, I would briefly talk about the biographical details of the philosopher.
Example: Epicurus (341-270 BCE) lived in Ancient Greece where he established a philosophical school known as 'the Garden.'"
Second, I would then talk about what was happening in the historical milieu in which the philosopher lived.
Example: "Socrates lived during a very troubled time in Ancient Greece. Athens, his home town, was involved in several wars with the Greek city-state Sparta. The failure of the Athenian armed forces to be victorious led to significant political upheaval. Unfortunately, Socrates was caught up in the political intrigue and was accused of treason to the state by virtue of the fact that he had (according to the accusation) dishonored the Athenian gods which his accusers claimed as a key reason for the Athenian defeat in their wars with Sparta."
Third, I would then talk about the major emphases/concerns of the philosopher.
Example: "It is difficult in a short paragraph to encapsulate all of the philosophical teachings of Aristotle. He wrote about many issues. For the purpose of this essay, I want to talk about his understanding of the natural world. Aristotle rejected the teachings of his teacher Plato who had insisted that reality is spiritual, not physical. Plato had argued that to understand the physical world one first has to find the spiritual reality and then "see the world through the spiritual reality." Aristotle reversed this approach. He instead insisted that we discover the spiritual world by taking the natural world seriously. We look at each part of the natural world and by using our reason and senses we discover its true essence.
Finally, I would then show the quote I chose fits into the major emphases of the philosopher as I have discussed them.
Example: "In particular, the quote I chose illustrates the main emphases of Hippocratic thinking. Hippocrates in this quote rejects a supernatural explanation of epilepsy and instead claims that simply by using human reason doctors will be able in the future to explain the disease and to diagnose a curer. He emphatically states that just because we cannot understand something now does not mean the only possible explanation is to be found in religion. Rather, he declares that the cumulative effect of human beings thinking about their world and trying to understand it rationally will lead to increased knowledge and understanding.”