Letter to Menoeceus

May 21, 2025 | 660 words | 4min read

Paper Title: Letter to Menoeceus
Link to Paper: https://users.manchester.edu/Facstaff/SSNaragon/Online/texts/316/Epicurus,%20LetterMenoeceus.pdf
Date: Ca. 300 BCE
Paper Type: Philosophy
Short Abstract:
In this letter, Epicurus offers a summary of his ethical system.

The letter consists of 12 sections, summarized briefly as follows:

1. It is never too late nor too early to study philosophy, as it is central to the health of the soul. The chief question is: What makes us happy?

2. God exists because we can empirically sense his presence. However, God is not as the general population imagines. People believe in many falsehoods about the divine. In truth, God is perfectly moral and complete, but also distant and unconcerned with human affairs. It is foolish to believe that God rewards the good and punishes the wicked in a human-like way.

3. Death is merely the deprivation of sensation; it is neither good nor bad, and there is no reason to fear it. What is painful is the anticipation of death—but only if we believe death to be bad. If we do not hold that belief, even anticipation is not troubling.

“So long as we exist, death is not with us; but when death comes, we do not exist.”

4. Many people either fear death or seek it as an escape from the evils of life. But the wise person does not strive for the longest or shortest life; since death is no offense to him, he instead seeks the most pleasant life.

5. It is foolish to give different advice to the young and the old, because living well and dying well both depend on the same kind of wisdom.

6. Those who seek death are even more foolish—if they truly desired death, they would already be dead. If they speak in jest, then their words are at best unhelpful and at worst harmful to others.

7. We neither have a right to the future nor to the lack of it; thus, we should not depend on the future, but neither should we lose hope in it. Desires can be classified into three types: natural and necessary (like food), natural but unnecessary, and vain. Understanding these distinctions helps us make the choices that lead to a healthy soul. The goal of life is freedom from bodily pain and mental disturbance. We act to avoid pain and fear, not in pursuit of endless pleasure. Once pain is gone, no further pleasure is needed—we are already at peace. This peace is the natural foundation from which we judge all choices.

8. Every pain is evil and every pleasure is good, but not all pleasures should be chosen, nor all pains avoided. Sometimes we should forego certain pleasures to gain greater ones later, and sometimes endure pains to avoid worse ones. We must use reason to weigh the consequences of each.

9. Natural desires are easy to satisfy, while vain ones are not. Therefore, we should become accustomed to simple pleasures—like bread and water—rather than luxurious indulgences. This not only makes us less fearful of losing what we have, but also helps us appreciate luxuries when we do have them. Thus, freedom from desire is the greatest good.

10. Epicurus does not advocate for sensual pleasures like sex and drunkenness, contrary to what his critics claim. Instead, he teaches that true pleasure comes through freedom from desire, achieved by a simple lifestyle and sober reasoning.

11. Prudence is the greatest virtue, because all other virtues—and philosophy itself—arise from it. Virtue is closely connected to a pleasurable life: you cannot be virtuous without living a pleasurable life, and vice versa. In summary, the wise person:

• Honors the gods, but without superstition,
• Is not afraid of death,
• Laughs at fate, knowing that some things happen by chance, some by necessity, and some are within our control,
• Prefers reason over superstition,
• Believes it is better to fail wisely than to succeed through foolish luck.

12. If you reflect deeply on these teachings, you will live in peace and joy, rising above the mortal anxieties that plague most people.

reply via email