The history of philosophy is the history of humanity’s thought, and each subsequent thinker builds on those before him. So, when you wonder why we are the way we are today, you must look to the past for answers. Who has shaped who we are in the West?
Epicurus
Everything you think you know about Hedonism is wrong. In fact, if Epicurus was around today, he would probably sue Epicurious for libel! Hedonism was the philosophy of maximizing the pleasure to be had in life not through mindless self-indulgence but from reducing unnatural and unnecessary desires. Desires, he thought, are the real source of suffering in the world. Living simply, eating simple fare when hungry, keeping company with like-minded folks, and avoiding the stress and competition of climbing the career ladder or impressing others were his keys to the Good Life.Why does Epicurus matter today? Well, aside from making an effort to reclaim Hedonism from those who use it as an excuse to par-tay, his thoughts are a useful counterpoint to the insanity of modern life.
When confronted with yet another car commercial and that familiar stirring of desire, ask yourself, “Does this make me happy?” If advertisement is creating false and unnecessary desires in you, and since desires are a form of discomfort, remove the stimulus. Epicurus was certain that the body is really all there is and as a result, anything that causes discomfort beyond the natural drives is bad.
Diogenes
Diogenes, the great Cynic, was said to live in a barrel and spend him time mocking the upright and fashionable citizens. He believed that man managed to mess up every simple gift of the gods. What is Cynicism, then? Unmitigated questioning. Where there is an assumption of “The Way Things Are (or Should Be)”, Cynicism is there to ask “Well, yeah, but why?” (For example: One man should rule another? Why? The bones of Alexander the Great's father are indistinguishable from those of a slave.) Unfortunately, none of Diogenes' writings survive so we have only anecdotes by which to remember him.Why do Cynicism and Diogenes matter? Diogenes preached easy, simple living. What good is a high position if it means you can't lie around in the sun all day? Thoughts to consider in our harried lives. Further, the importance of questioning conventional wisdom should not be overlooked. Being cynical doesn't mean hating life, but rather valuing what is truly valuable and laughing at the rest when someone tries to impose something silly as “Truth”.
Epictetus
Epictetus was one of the Stoic philosophers. There were quite a few of these because Stoicism was practically the unofficial religions of the Roman Empire. And if you don't know why we should worry about what the Roman Empire thought, there is just no hope for you. Europe itself is the legacy of the Roman Empire, and the fact that in its-and Christianity's -formative years Stoicism ruled will tell you a lot about Medieval History and clear up a few questions about the early Christian Church. The key points of Stoicism are knowing the difference between what we can control (our thoughts and our actions) and what we can't (other people, things, even our bodies).
What follows from this is an absolute understanding that we are responsible for our choices, that no one and nothing else is to blame. But also that terrible things, and good things, can and will happen that we have no control over. These we must accept and spend no time concerning ourselves with or we won't have enough energy to devote to learning how to pursue right actions. There is a mind/soul-body split in Stoicism, if you want to get into it, that means that whatever happens to this wretched flesh is on no concern so long as I have honored the gods by acting in accordance with reason. Sound familiar?
Aristotle
Aristotle! Where to start? The father of metaphysics, virtue theory ethics, scientific method, and who knows what else! Aristotle split with Plato over the idea of “the Forms”. That is, is a table a table because it is a table, or is a table a table because it corresponds to the idea we have of a table-an idea that exists independently of the thing? Aristotle says a table is a table. Metaphysics. Can't live with it, can't deny it tenure. Anyway, he wrote that the Good Life is one of Virtue composed of right action found through the mean but that being able to even know these things is a function of your education as well as your nature. So, he says, its complicated and you are probably screwed.
Considering that pretty much every Medieval Christian philosopher (on whom the actions of the Church and thus everyday life were based) did somersaults to try to contort their thinking in line with Aristotle's method of inquiry, it's a fair guess that he influenced the hell out of the West. Interestingly, we only have much of his work because Islamic scholars kept studying him while libraries were being burned in Post-Pagan Rome. But for you, no simple sound-bite lessons come from Aristotle, only thoughtful engagement with a complicated world.
Plato and Socrates
Plato is famous for writing about another philosopher, Socrates. Socrates wandered around Athens making people who claimed to know something about the universe look like idiots. Plato transcribed these skeptical dialogues about things like piety, love, the good, and so on. Out of these, and works like The Republic, a cosmology appears. We'll never know how many words Plato put in to Socrates' mouth but he is the reason we have any of these words at all. But what was his (their?) philosophy?
That the Good Life is one of questioning and examining one's beliefs and actions. Socrates would rather die than give up being a gadfly. Plato put forth a political system that called for a hierarchical structure atop of which sat the Philosopher-King. And we are blessed (or cursed, if you are an undergrad) with the Socratic Method; that question and answer format wherein two interlocutors each try to prove that the other is an idiot. And history has seen the idea of an objective realm Out There to which things here in this shadow realm of Earth aspire play out in every field from religion to politic to music.
Choosing just five ancient Western philosophers was not and easy task. Leaving out some, like the pre-Socratics, gives an incomplete picture of others. Explaining the convoluted history of their influences on modern life is the work of a lifetime! Hopefully this little article has gotten you to think about where some of our common themes come from and whetted your appetite for philosophy.
