Letter to Menoeceus
Epicurus
Hedonism:
• Hedonism is the view that pleasure is
ultimately the only criteria for human welfare
• That is, hedonism holds that what makes a
person’s life go well for them is pleasure and
only pleasure. What makes a person’s life go
bad for them is pain and only pain.
• Epicurus’s “Letter to Menoeceus” is an early
and excellent example of a hedonistic theory
of prudence.
Sensation
• Epicurus holds that “all good and evil consists
in sensation” (p.178)
• By this he means that something can only be
good for a person if it feels good to that
person. Likewise something can only be bad
for a person if it feels bad to them.
• This is why Epicurus advises against fearing
death. There is no sensation in death, so it
can’t be good or bad.
The best life:
• Hedonists are often misunderstood to be
advocates of lust and gluttony and wildness.
• Epicurus counsels a quiet life with a simple diet
so that on those rare occasions when one does
indulge, one can enjoy it all the more.
• Also, lust, gluttony, and wildness tend to be
accompanied by as much or more pain than
pleasure in the long run.
• It is more accurate to say that the Epicurean
hedonist is a pain-avoider rather than a pleasureseeker.
Study Questions:
• What is Epicurus likely to say to someone who
has a choice between going to a big party and
staying at home to study?
• Why is death neither to be welcomed nor
feared?
• What is the difference between a hedonistic
theory of morality and a hedonistic theory of
prudence?