Out of curiosity , is there any indication they might find scrolls of different schools at the Herculaneum library or it looks like the library was 100 % Epicurean in terms of philosophical material?
Thank you so much for these recommendations. I haven't read the book yet, but recently, Living for Pleasure: An Epicurean Guide to Life was recommended by a philosophy publication. It has always interested me, how much Epicureanism influenced founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson, but in philosophical discussions these days, it isn't mentioned all that often.
That's probably because the influence on the "founding fathers" is a bit overblown, and it's not particularly relevant to anyone who is interested in Epicureanism because they're interested in it as a philosophical movement. Lots of people were interested in Epicureanism in the early modern period, and the "founding fathers" more or less just followed along with that interest
I’m wondering if you might bring further enlightenment on this subject- I’ve been turning it over in my mind since your response. In a letter to his friend William Short, Jefferson stated, “As you say of yourself, I too am an Epicurean.” And he grapples with elements of the philosophy throughout his writings, both directly and indirectly. The founding fathers, like Jefferson, took philosophy very seriously, so if he admitted his philosophical stance in his writing, I don’t think that is something that he took lightly. And since the founding fathers set the philosophical tone of the country (Declaration of Independence among other documents and writings), I don’t think they were following suit, but setting the tone themselves. Writers like Tim Sandefur for example, have covered how much Ancient Greece, and Epicureanism in particular, influenced America’s original thinkers. In his work, “The Greeks and America’s Founding Fathers,” he states, “I want to focus on Epicurus and Lucretius, because even now Epicurean ideas are not as instantly recognizable to ordinary people as those of Aristotle or Plato. Yet Epicurus had the strongest influence on Thomas Jefferson.” So I don’t think their interest in the philosophy has been overblown. I guess I’m an outlier, because my introduction to Epicurean philosophy came by way of Jefferson’s writings, not the other way around. I think those interested in how philosophy shapes cultures, especially from the aspect of history, leads people to discover philosophies like Epicureanism by way of figures who studied the school of thought, but were not part of the school of thought. So I find historical references to the philosophy to be highly relevant. I think a major reason Epicureanism didn’t flourish like Plato’s works, or Aristotle’s, is due to the lack of literature on it, since so much of Epicurus’ texts were destroyed.
I think it is overblown, and I also don't care all that much about the founding fathers or their interests. Feel free to read and think about the people who have interpretations of them more like yours, and spend time with them. Having spent plenty of time reading and teaching about them in the past, I'm really not interested in devoting more of my time to them
This is great, thank you.
Out of curiosity , is there any indication they might find scrolls of different schools at the Herculaneum library or it looks like the library was 100 % Epicurean in terms of philosophical material?
The only indications will come after they've deciphered enough scrolls to make some sort of prediction. For the present, it could go either way
Got you. Thank you!
Thank you so much for these recommendations. I haven't read the book yet, but recently, Living for Pleasure: An Epicurean Guide to Life was recommended by a philosophy publication. It has always interested me, how much Epicureanism influenced founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson, but in philosophical discussions these days, it isn't mentioned all that often.
That's probably because the influence on the "founding fathers" is a bit overblown, and it's not particularly relevant to anyone who is interested in Epicureanism because they're interested in it as a philosophical movement. Lots of people were interested in Epicureanism in the early modern period, and the "founding fathers" more or less just followed along with that interest
Is there a reason for you to be making such wild assumptions here? Do better, if you're going to join a conversation
I appreciate the context :)
I’m wondering if you might bring further enlightenment on this subject- I’ve been turning it over in my mind since your response. In a letter to his friend William Short, Jefferson stated, “As you say of yourself, I too am an Epicurean.” And he grapples with elements of the philosophy throughout his writings, both directly and indirectly. The founding fathers, like Jefferson, took philosophy very seriously, so if he admitted his philosophical stance in his writing, I don’t think that is something that he took lightly. And since the founding fathers set the philosophical tone of the country (Declaration of Independence among other documents and writings), I don’t think they were following suit, but setting the tone themselves. Writers like Tim Sandefur for example, have covered how much Ancient Greece, and Epicureanism in particular, influenced America’s original thinkers. In his work, “The Greeks and America’s Founding Fathers,” he states, “I want to focus on Epicurus and Lucretius, because even now Epicurean ideas are not as instantly recognizable to ordinary people as those of Aristotle or Plato. Yet Epicurus had the strongest influence on Thomas Jefferson.” So I don’t think their interest in the philosophy has been overblown. I guess I’m an outlier, because my introduction to Epicurean philosophy came by way of Jefferson’s writings, not the other way around. I think those interested in how philosophy shapes cultures, especially from the aspect of history, leads people to discover philosophies like Epicureanism by way of figures who studied the school of thought, but were not part of the school of thought. So I find historical references to the philosophy to be highly relevant. I think a major reason Epicureanism didn’t flourish like Plato’s works, or Aristotle’s, is due to the lack of literature on it, since so much of Epicurus’ texts were destroyed.
I think it is overblown, and I also don't care all that much about the founding fathers or their interests. Feel free to read and think about the people who have interpretations of them more like yours, and spend time with them. Having spent plenty of time reading and teaching about them in the past, I'm really not interested in devoting more of my time to them
I enjoy communicating with people who have different perspectives, but I've made note of your suggestion. Have a great day.