Publish at October 29 2025 Updated October 29 2025
Epicurus is one of those ancient Greek philosophers who were misunderstood millennia later. We associate him with pleasures, even vices. We often mistakenly talk about Epicureanism without really understanding what it meant. Because, contrary to popular belief, Epicurus did not encourage unhealthy pleasures. Quite the contrary, in fact. In fact, his vision is a good way to fight against addictions of all kinds.
As this capsule from France Culture reminds us, Epicurus sought ataraxia, the absence of troubles. To achieve this, you have to satisfy your needs.
Epicurus said it's important to be wary of passions, especially those that harm us. In fact, the word passion derives from the Greek pathos and means suffering. So, whether it's alcohol or excessive sport, if something disturbs us to the point of creating cravings, it's a bad thing in true Epicureanism.
So we're a long way from a philosophical trend encouraging us to drink liters of red wine on a regular basis... We need to focus on the good things that soothe us, and steer clear of those that cause us harm.
Running time: 3min16
Image: Shima Abedinzade from Pixabay
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