In qvx) Epicurus et sui summum honum consti'
The Illusion of Hedonism
The author critiques the Epicurean pursuit of pleasure, noting how easily noble philosophical goals are corrupted by the foolish.
…and it’s through many labors that one arrives at pleasure. Philosophers pursue many difficult things, and while they all aim for the highest good, they do so by different paths; yet, as I see it, no one reaches or even heads toward that goal without labor. There are three schools of philosophers, each divided into many paths, and though they labor in different ways, they all work toward the end they have set for themselves. Epicurus and his entire flock of followers claim that a happy life is one that always enjoys such pleasure that not even the slightest hint of sadness or disturbance can break in. It is indeed a true definition, and one that couldn't be more well-rounded. Yet the crowd that follows him has drifted away from that into mere pleasures, thinking that by using them they will be perfectly happy. Still, I cannot be persuaded that anyone who drank from the Socratic fountain—which taught such purity of morals that later generations believed he possessed not just a human, but a divine spirit—would have drawn this conclusion. But because it's easy for the best teachings to be corrupted by the ears or mouths of the foolish, things that were meant to be tools for virtue have been twisted into shortcuts for filth.
The Labor of Worldly Ambition
The pursuit of worldly pleasure requires immense labor, wealth, and power, yet ultimately fails to provide the peace it promises.
The flesh, of course, has formed the opinion—though any sensible person knows this isn't true—that there's nothing more pleasant or delightful than a life of indulgence, or the life of those who feast lavishly every day, burn with wine, and wear fine clothes; in short, that the life of a person who truly enjoys the highest happiness is one where they can think, say, and do whatever their mind, tongue, or hands crave, without ever contradicting themselves or holding back the impulses of their own will. But is it really possible to reach that state without any effort? How many obstacles does the variety of human life place in the way of living like that? To use things as you please, you need wealth; the needy can't use them that way because they lack them, or they often save them so they won't run out. But let's assume you have them; among many competitors and those running with such greed, the stronger person will carry them off. Therefore, you need strength to keep them. Power, then, is also required. Are these things acquired for free—that is, without labor and anxiety? Still, it’s truly hard and intolerable to be despised in these matters, because self-interest is innate in man. Even someone who doesn't actually act to be good still wants to appear good and wants others to be mistaken in their judgment of him; for it is the love of justice, not self-interest, that will actually make a person good. We seek the respect of those around us, but unless that respect is sustained by the benefit of a good reputation, it easily vanishes. But that which produces and extends glory arises from many factors, yet it grows strongest from the practice of the virtues. It’s clear, then, how laborious the path to happiness is when pursued through pleasures—those that amass wealth for the sake of self-sufficiency so that one might rely on power, seek status, pursue dignities to gain respect and avoid contempt, and aspire to glory for the sake of fame. Yet by all these means, the life Epicurus describes—one free from sadness and every disturbance—is not attained. Either these things don't all come together for one person, or they don't yield the results they promise; indeed, very often, as if they were working at cross-purposes, they produce the opposite of what those seeking them desire. If you don't believe me, read the book on the Consolation of Philosophy more attentively, and it will be plain that these things turn out to be the opposite. And although that book does not express the Word made flesh, it still holds no small authority among those who rely on reason, since it prepares suitable remedies for everyone to suppress the pain of any ulcerated mind. Neither the Jew nor the Greek should decline the use of this medicine under the pretext of religion, since the artful construction of vivid reason is so beneficial to the wise in faith and to those who are foolish in their lack of faith that no religion should dare to abhor what it offers, unless one is devoid of reason.
The True Path of Wisdom
True happiness is found not in external goods, but within wisdom itself, which is often neglected in favor of vain pursuits.
He is profound in his insights without effort, clear in his words without being shallow; he is a forceful orator and an effective teacher, sometimes persuasively arguing for what must be followed, and at other times driving it home as if by the sting of necessity. If you settle into this, as you must, you'll see that those things are sought with too much labor for some other end, and that the very thing for whose sake they are sought is not gained from them at all. Yet that for which they are sought could have been found more truly and more easily if it were not sought anywhere but in itself. But now, as malice grows, it is no longer sought; instead, it is neglected in favor of those other things, even if it happens to present itself. For since all the goods of wisdom are merely accessory to it, and it is established that wisdom is above salvation and is more direct—for, as the saying goes, a love of cleverness has never made anyone rich.
Read the original Latin
tuant; et quod per lahores mvltos itur ad uoluptates. Multa quidem sunt et difficilia quibus philosophantium Et quidem ad summum tendunt omnes sed uia dispari; nemo tamen, ut opinor, illuc sine labore pertingit aut tendit. Cum enim sint tres philosophantium sectae, quae et ipsae scinduntur in semitas multas, omnes etsi dissimiliter laborant tamen in assequendo finem quem statuunt. Siquidem Epicurus et totus grex sodalium eius uitam beatam asserit quae semper tanta iocunditate letatur ut tristitiae et perturbationis non interueniat uel tenuis motus. Vera quidem diffinitio est et qua nichil potest esse rotundius. Ab ea tamen plebs, quae eum sequitur, defluxit in uoluptates, reputans se earum usu beatissimam esse futuram. Michi tamen persuaderi nequit hoc aliquem hausisse de fonte Socratico, qui tantam morum docuit puritatem ut a posteris creditus sit non humanum modo sed diuinum spiritum habuisse. Sed, quia facile est aure uel ore insipientum dicta optima deprauari, ad compendium immunditiae tracta sunt quae uirtutis esse debuerant instrumentum.
Caro siquidem opinata est (nam hoc utique cordatus homo non sentit) quod amore iocisque nil est iocundius, nil suauius parasitica uita aut eorum qui epuland tur cotidie splendide, qui uino estuant, splendidis utuntur uestibus; denique omnia, quae mens lingua manus appetit, cogitare loqui et facere, et in nuUo contraire sibi aut motum reprimere propriae uoluntatis, uitam esse hominis uera et summa felicitate gaudentis. Sed numquid huc sine labore uenitur? Quot obices, ne sic uiuatur, uarietas humanae sortis interiacif? Vt rebus namque utaris ad libitum, opulentia necessaria est; his enim egenus ita non utitur quia desunt, aut parcit saepe ne desint. Sed ponantur adesse; inter multos competitores et tanta currentes auiditate eas fortior asportabit. Viribus itaque opus est ut seruentur. Exigitur ergo et potentia. Numquid haec gratis, id est sine labore et sollicitudine, adquiruntur?
Sed in his contempni durum quidem est et a intolerabile, eo quod amor commodi innatus est homini, ut etiam qui non agit ut bonus sit, bonus uideri ueKt et in estimatione sui aliorum errare iudicia; nam ut bonus sit, non commodi quidem sed iusti amor efficiet. Quaeritur ergo reuerentia conuiuentium; sed haec ipsa, nisi famae beneficio protendatur, leuiter euanescit. At illa quae gloriam parit et prorogat, ex multis surgit articulis sed maxime a uirtutum exercitio conualescit. Patet ergo quam laboriosus sit transitus ad beatitudinem per uoluptates, quae sufficientiae causa diuit'as congerunt, ut potentia nitantur amplitudines quaerunt, dignitates ad J5 reuerentiam et fugam contemptus, et conciliandae celebritatis gratia adspirant ad gloriam. His tamen omnibus non ea uita, quam Epicurus describit, adquiritur et quae tristitiae sit et totius perturbationis ignara; aut enim haec in unum quemlibet non concurrunt aut non conferunt quos pollicentur efiectus; immo et saepissime, tamquam e regione consistant, quaerentium uotis contraria operantur. Si michi non credis, liber de Consolatione Philosophiae reuoluatur attentius et planum erit haec in contrarium cedere. Et licet liber ille Verbum non exprimat incamatum, tamen apud eos qui ratione nituntur non mediocris auctoritate est, cum ad reprimendum quamlibet exulceratae mentis dolorem congrua cuique medicamenta conficiat. Nec ludeus quidem nec Grecus sub praetextu religionis medicinae declinet usum, cum sapientibus in fide et in perfidia dec sipientibus sic uiuidae rationis conf ectio artificiosa proficiat ut nuUa religio quod miscet abhominari audeat, nisi qui rationis expers est.
Sine difficultate profundus est in sententiis, in uerbis sine leuitate conspicuus, orator uehemens, efficax demonstrator; ad id quod sequendum est nunc probabiliter suadens, nunc quasi stimulo necessitatis impellens. Si huic, ut necesse est, adquieueris, uidebis ista ' laboriose nimis quaeri ob aliud et id cuius gratia quaeruntur ex eis minime prouenire. Illud tamen, cuius quaeruntur gratia, uerius et compendiosius poterat inueniri, si non aliunde quam a se quaereretur. Sed iam fere malitia inualescente non quaeritur, sed neglectui ducitur prae istis etiam si occurrat. Nam cum omnia bona sapientiae accessoria sint ipsamque constet super salutem et compendiosior; nam, ut dici solet, amor ingenii neminem umquam diuitem fecit.
Policraticus companion
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