“How to be an Epicurean” by Catherine Wilson

The author 🖋

Catherine Wilson is a highly respected philosopher and an expert in the history of philosophy.

For decades, she’s been both a student (Princeton, Yale, Oxford) and a teacher (New York, Cambridge, York) of philosophy.

Epicurus was an ancient Greek philosopher who founded the philosophical school of Epicureanism around 307 BCE.

Key takeaways 🎓

1. Seek simple pleasures

Being happy comes from enjoying the small things.

Everyday moments like a good meal, time with friends or a beautiful walk in the sunset bring us lasting contentment without constantly chasing bigger and more expensive thrills.

We don’t need lots of fancy stuff to be happy.

2. Don't worry, be reasonable

A core Epicurean principle is overcoming irrational worries, especially the fear of death.

Many fears don't make sense and if we really thought about them deeply most of us would also conclude that some things we worry about aren't worth the stress..

3. Relationships matter

Be a good friend (or daughter, or husband, or mother).

Be kind, help your loved ones when you can and try to make their lives better.

Based on Epicurus, having real friends is one of the most important parts of living a happy life.

Closing thoughts 🧠

The author aims to demonstrate a compelling case for the continued relevance of Epicurean ideas as a philosophy for living well in the modern world.

It helped me compare Epicureanism with other ancient philosophies like Stoicism and highlighted the unique strengths of the Epicurean approach pretty well in my mind.