Epicureanism: A Very Short Introduction - Paperback

by Catherine Wilson (Author)

Epicureanism is commonly associated with a carefree view of life and the pursuit of pleasures, particularly the pleasures of the table. However it was a complex and distinctive system of philosophy that emphasized simplicity and moderation, and considered nature to consist of atoms and the void. Epicureanism is a school of thought whose legacy continues to reverberate today.

In this Very Short Introduction, Catherine Wilson explains the key ideas of the School, comparing them with those of the rival Stoics and with Kantian ethics, and tracing their influence on the development of scientific and political thought from Locke, Newton, and Galileo to Rousseau, Marx, Bentham, and Mill. She discusses the adoption and adaptation of Epicurean motifs in science, morality, and politics from the 17th Century onwards and contextualises the significance of Epicureanism in modern life.

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Author Biography

Catherine Wilson is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at York University and a member of the Graduate Faculty of the City University of New York. She is the author of a number of books and articles on the history and philosophy of science and on the Epicurean influence on moral and political theory, including the highly regarded monograph, Epicureanism at the Origins of Modernity (OUP, 2008).