Epicureanism is the seventh title in the University of California Press’s impressive Ancient Philosophies series.  The series includes other titles such as Stoicism, Cynics, and Ancient Scepticism, among others.  UC Press has developed healthy and useful classical studies and ancient philosophy catalogs.  One of its titles, Introducing Greek Philosophy, though not part of the Ancient Philosophies series, was recently reviewed on this web site.  The Ancient Philosophy series consists of introductory books designed specifically for students that attempt to offer “clear yet rigorous presentation of core ideas.”  Epicureanism fits this description well.

O’Keefe states his hope “that this book serves as a useful introduction to Epicurus’ positions and the arguments he gives in favour of them” and he explains that the “book is intended as a stand-alone introduction” (viii).  I believe the book is useful and is an excellent “stand-alone” work.  It would be an ideal choice for a course on Epicurus (if there are any such courses left in academia) or a course on Hellenistic philosophy.  The 206-paged book is divided into three main parts as well as an introduction to the whole.  The first part is devoted to issues in “metaphysics and physics,” the second, much briefer part, is devoted to “epistemology,” and the third part, about equal in length to the first, covers a number of issues under the heading of “ethics,” such as the nature and role of pleasure in Epicureanism, justice, friendship, the gods, and death.  O’Keefe notes that his “interpretations of Epicurus are not especially idiosyncratic….” (ix). I cannot disagree.

The book includes a brief chronological list of names and dates, a glossary of philosophical terms, a list of relevant further reading, a good general index, and a bibliography.  Epicureanism is a handy, self-contained work that would be useful to students new to Epicurus, as well as to instructors who will find this a valuable reference work as they organize their courses (or those parts of their courses) dealing with Epicurus.

The prose of Epicureanism flows nicely.  O’Keefe writes in a comfortable, easy, clear manner that at the same time does not over-simplify or trivialize the material with which he deals.  I think students will especially appreciate this style.  As for me, a serious book on a serious philosophical school that makes repeated reference to Jimi Hendrix can’t be all bad. Though O’Keefe helpfully introduces relevant insights and arguments from philosophers like Nagel, Kripke, and Parfit, he, at the same time, as he puts it in his preface, manages to “avoid extensive wrangling in scholarly controversy…” (ix). Particularly helpful to students might be O’Keefe’s references to Bentham and Mill when he discusses the Epicurean version of hedonism. A real strength of the book is the extensive use O’Keefe makes of the many ancient sources available to us.  The extant writings of Epicurus himself, as with many ancient figures, are scant.  There are, of course, some rather lengthy interpretative works from the ancient world, like those from Lucretius and Diogenes Laertius and, of course, O’Keefe makes excellent use of them.  The commentaries of Cicero and Plutarch are also thoroughly mined.  But O’Keefe also makes good use of a number of lesser known, more infrequently used interpretations such as those from Athenaeus, Lactantius, Philodemus, Porphyry, among others.  I think students of philosophy will especially appreciate how Epicureanism engages some important arguments from Plato and Aristotle.

Epicurus is well-known for his claim that atarxia (O’Keefe suggests ‘tanquility’ as a reasonable translation of this word), a mental state free from fear and anxiety, is the greatest good for human beings.  This claim has a very contemporary ring to it and it alone might move people to delve more deeply into the Epicurean school.  Epicureanism would not be a bad place to start.  Its discussions of friendship, how to deal with the sorrows and anxieties associated with death, our relationship to pleasure, and how to think of the gods’ relationship to us are all familiar topics of concern in the popular media.  Epicurus could do worse than to be thought of as a modern-day Dr. Phil.

© 2010 Ben Mulvey

Ben Mulvey, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the College of Arts and Sciences of Nova Southeastern University.  He received his doctorate in philosophy from Michigan State University specializing in political theory and applied ethics.  He teaches philosophy at NSU and is a member of the board of advisors of the Florida Bioethics Network.