Epicurean philosophy on how to achieve happiness are centered around the following three points: Friends, Freedom, and Thought. Stoic philosopher Seneca felt that in order to not be angry, people must have lower expectations of their imagined world so that when it inevitably collides with reality, they won't be so prone to anger. At first glance, these philosophies don't seem at all connected; one is focused on the attainment of happiness, the other on avoiding anger.
But is it at all possible for the two philosophies to intertwine?
To determine the answer, we must examine each one more closely.
At it's core, Epicurean philosophy is based on pleasure; but not necessarily the sensual, decadent pleasures one tends to think of when envisioning this school of philosophy. According to Epicurus, when one has friends, freedom, and thought they are able to be happy no matter their financial circumstance. One can be relatively wealthy and unhappy; but if they have friends with which to share it, freedom of choice, and the ability of higher thinking then happiness can be acheived. The same can go for those who have less money; if they have friends, freedom, and thought they can be happy.
On the other hand, Stoicism places more responsibility on the individual; strong emotions, such as anger, aren't out of our control. If one thinks something through logically, then such unnecessary emotions can be eliminated. It also asks for people to have lower expectations in order to avoid these strong emotions as well.
If somebody has successfully lowered their expectations or thought logically about a situation that would normally make them angry, then they have the freedom to create an environment which could make them happy. For example, during the college application process, many students are pressured into a cycle that perpetuates the idea that if they don't get into a good school, then nothing will come from their future. But, when applying Stoic and Epicurean philosophy, if students change their idea of what defines a 'good school' for them as individuals then they can then construct a situation where they are happy with the college they get into, regardless of the expectations of others.
That is not to say that this can't be untrue for other situations, even the same one, but it does show that such differing philosophies don't have to act alone.
Great summary of both Epicurean and Stoic philosophy. I particularly like how you apply them to your life circumstances. Do you feel these philosophies an help alleviate some of the stress around the college process?
ReplyDeleteI do feel that the application of both philosophies help me through this process, along with other everyday stress-inducers. I just have to be very conscious of Stoicism and that it can certainly veer off into the negative, and it doesn't have to
DeleteGood job, I really liked how you compared the two philosophical views, Epicurus and Seneca, i feel you did a good job with that. And i totally feel the struggle, as with many people do as well, with the college process. Everyone, especially at this school, seems to put their standards so high up for colleges when I feel people should just accept what happens. Love what you wrote.
ReplyDeleteI really love your last sentence; it's so powerful and thought provoking. The idea that we can combine different schools of philosophy into our own unique understanding of it really intrigues me. I'm interested in trying to combine two philosophies that seem to be really different, but in reality could work together cohesively. Nice job!
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