Epicurus’ Hedonism

Epicurus proclaimed, "I affirm now and always, at the top of my voice...pleasure is the goal of the best way of life".

Does this mean that Epicurus was for the indiscriminate satisfying of pleasure? If he was, he wouldn't fair well in the modern world, where every corner you turn is a new avenue of pleasure.

No, it wasn't quite that simple for Epicurus.

Epicurus saw that pleasure was more closely linked to the absence of pain. Pain is the ultimate bad and pleasure the ultimate good. Pleasure is the satisfaction of desire, and the fundamental desire is the removal of pain.

This to Epicurus wouldn't mean that lots of pleasure now regardless of the consequences. He still took a long view of the world. He knows that if he goes and drinks a lot of wine at night, the net pleasure he gets will be negative because of the hangover tomorrow.

This is what he called unnecessary pleasure. Sure a glass of wine is nice, but going more becomes unnecessary and gets you into dangerous territory for your future pleasure.

Interestingly here, Epicurus isn't the gluttonous, sex freak pleasure maniac that many believe. He is actually a man of great temperance, who is able to control himself so that he is better off in the long run.

Sure pleasure is his highest good, but it not the instant gratification pleasure which we associate him with.