#epicurean — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #epicurean, aggregated by home.social.
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CW: CW: a little philosophy, existential shrugging, and cats claiming divine authority.
I am an Epicurean agnostic deist.
Which sounds terribly complicated, but is actually quite simple.
I don't know whether there is a God, or several. Maybe there is. Maybe there isn't. I don't really know, and (this is the important bit) I don't particularly feel the need to know.
The universe is under no obligation to explain itself to me, and I am under no obligation to invent certainty where none is available.
But if there is a creator, I imagine them rather like an author who finished an enormous, complicated, occasionally beautiful manuscript, put down their pen, and walked away.
The work continues. The characters are on their own. The author is not popping back in every five minutes to rearrange the furniture, punish someone for wearing the wrong trousers, or decide which football team deserves divine favour.
And the Epicurean part?
That may be the most important bit of all.
I don't believe in living in fear. Not of gods. Not of death. Not of punishment. Not of some cosmic headteacher waiting to tell me I've been very naughty indeed. Been there, done that, minus the cosmic part. ;)
I believe in tranquillity. Friendship. Love. Thinking carefully. Being kind. Causing as little unnecessary suffering as possible.
And pleasure. Not endless excess, but the quiet, genuine pleasures of being alive.
Good food. Good coffee. Good conversation. People you love. A comfortable place to sit. A long walk. An afternoon in a park beneath old trees, watching the world happen around you.
And cats.
Obviously, cats are divine.
Perhaps Thor exists. Perhaps Bastet exists. Perhaps they are both busy. Perhaps neither exists in the way people imagine gods exist.
But when a cat climbs onto my lap, looks at me with ancient and absolute authority, and demands worship in the form of snacks, I feel that the theological evidence is at least worth considering.
So there you have it.
I don't know.
Maybe.
The creator, if there was one, has probably walked away from their work.
And in the meantime, I intend to love my friends, sit in parks, drink cocktails, pet cats, think deeply, be occasionally mischievous, and enjoy this strange little bit of existence while I've got it.
That seems quite enough theology for one lifetime. 💜🌳🐈✨
#Epicurean #Agnostic #Deist #Epicureanism #Philosophy #Ataraxia #SimplePleasures #CatsAreDivine #Bastet #Thor #Kindness
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Heidegger wrote in German. The world mostly doesn't. Something happens in transit — and that something turns out to matter philosophically. This is a thinking-aloud piece: no footnotes were harmed in its making.
https://somatichermeneutics.substack.com/p/what-hides-in-plain-sight
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#brussels but mostly #oostende - #europe
#ecology #nature #history #art #walks #cycling #opensource #freedom #linux #epicurean
supporting #democracy #ukraine, boycotting russia, china, big US tech
working in IT - convincing my employer to stop using MS/Azure - US cloud in general
#english #nederlands #francais un poco #espanol - ein bichen #deutch
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More on dessert experiments.
To keep one’s sanity amid the Trump/GOP chaos and corruption, one has to do small and enjoyable things.
To this end, I continued my experiment with the old English dessert called Syllabub. As a reminder it was originally a confection made with cream and sweet white wine.
On this 4th experiment I used fresh squeezed Cara Cara orange juice along with the heavy whipping cream and sugar, all whipped together for about 5 minutes with a hand blender.
So far, I’ve experimented with Sauvignon Blank, Meyer Lemons, Limes, and now Cara Cara oranges. In each experiment the Syllabub topped fresh berries.
My wife and I definitely prefer the citrus over the wine version.
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For a wrongdoer to be undetected is difficult; and for him to have confidence that his concealment will continue is impossible.
#einzelgänger #einzelganger #philosopher #quoteoftheday #philosophy #quotestoliveby #dailyquotes #thoughts #thoughtoftheday #lifequotes #epicurus #epicurean #epicurusquotes
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On something fun and enjoyable for a change, dessert.
Over the last two weekends we tried the old English whipped cream dessert called Syllabub. I found it referenced in a novel I read recently. It is very quick and easy to make and traditionally includes heavy whipping cream, white wine, and sugar.
The wine and sugar are mixed to partially dissolve the sugar, then mixed with the heavy whipping cream, and then whipped with a hand or other electric mixer. It is then placed over something like fresh berries.
We made it on three different days and varied the liquid and the sugar amount. For the first we used a Sauvignon Blanc. For the second we used squeezed Meyer Lemon, and for the third we used squeezed Limes.
We seem to like the lemon or lime variation better than with wine. For the berries we used fresh chilled Raspberries, Blackberries, and Blueberries.
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@clacksee @bookstodon if it is rolling a may take a flying fsck at it #epicurean dlites
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Chance seldom interferes with the wise man; his greatest and highest interests have been, are, and will be, directed by reason throughout his whole life.
#einzelgänger #einzelganger #philosopher #quoteoftheday #philosophy #quotestoliveby #dailyquotes #thoughts #thoughtoftheday #meditation #innerpeace #lifequotes #success #failure #persistence #Epicurus #epicurus #epicurean #epicurusquotes
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The wealth required by nature is limited and is easy to procure; but the wealth required by vain ideals extends to infinity.
#einzelgänger #einzelganger #philosopher #quoteoftheday #philosophy #quotestoliveby #dailyquotes #thoughts #thoughtoftheday #meditation #innerpeace #lifequotes #wealth #Epicurus #epicurus #epicurean #epicurusquotes
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Natural justice is a symbol or expression of usefulness, to prevent one person from harming or being harmed by another.
#einzelgänger #einzelganger #philosopher #quoteoftheday #philosophy #quotestoliveby #dailyquotes #thoughts #thoughtoftheday #meditation #innerpeace #lifequotes #epicurus #epicurean #epicurusquotes
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#brussels but mostly #oostende - #europe
#ecology #nature #history #art #walks #cycling #opensource #freedom #linux #epicurean
supporting #democracy #ukraine, boycotting russia, china, big US tech
working in IT - convincing my employer to stop using MS/Azure - US cloud in general
#english #nederlands #francais un poco #espanol - ein bichen #deutch
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Starting a new set of Sadler's Lectures podcast episodes on Cicero's work On The Nature Of The Gods, which places an Epicurean, a Stoic, and a Skeptic into dialogue. Here's the first
https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/cicero-on-the-nature-of-the-gods-characters-and-structure-of-the-dialogue
#Podcast #Cicero #Epicurean #Stoic #Skeptic #Philosophy #Gods #Dialogue -
The Colorado Club Saloon (new on Pearl Street) is worth checking out: https://katejonuska.com/2024/06/28/the-colorado-club-saloon.
The non-alcoholic cocktails and Shrimp and Grits is quite good.
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If you're interested in studying classical Epicurean philosophy, where do you start? Here's a page with recommendations of which ancient authors to go to, giving reasons for each of them
https://gregorybsadler.substack.com/p/reading-recommendations-for-epicurean
#Texts #Philosophy #Reading #Recommendations #Epicurus #Epicurean -
Here's the last in the new series of core concept videos on Cicero's On The Nature Of The Gods for now. We've now covered every key idea or argument in book 1. We'll get to book 2 later on in the year
https://youtu.be/hwM5Iw_VZY8
#Cicero #Video #God #Epicurean #Skeptic #Superstition #Philosophy #Religion -
Another criticism that the academic skeptics make of the Epicurean position in Cicero's On The Nature Of The Gods bears on their contention that the gods must have human-like forms. Here's a core concept video examining that!
https://youtu.be/Uu_wXQEmvjA
#Video #Philosophy #Epicurean #Gods #Anthropomorphism #Argument #Divinity #Skepticism -
Here's the next core concept video on book 1 of Cicero's On The Nature Of The Gods. This one looks at the Epicurean conception of the gods, which differs considerably from other ancient notions
https://youtu.be/A6VZnyfnU1s
#Epicurean #Video #Gods #Theology #Cosmology #Philosophy -
Here's the next core concept video on Cicero's On The Nature of the Gods. We move into examination of the Epicurean position on the matter, looking at a key idea and a not-so-good argument
https://youtu.be/8twpes9975A
#Video #Epicurean #Cicero #Argument #Gods #Religion #Preconceptions -
Here's the next core concept video in the new series on Cicero's On The Nature of the Gods, this one looking at the structure and topics of the dialogue and the three main characters, representing three important philosophical schools!
https://youtu.be/SDN2ck3dGd8
#Cicero #Philosophy #Video #Epicurean #Stoic #Skeptic #God #Religion -
There's a lot going on in Cicero's On The Nature Of The Gods. Here's a piece about that work, and more specifically about arguments for the existence of the gods made by the Epicurean and Stoic, then criticized by the Skeptic
https://medium.com/practical-rationality/ciceros-on-the-nature-of-the-gods-arguments-for-the-existence-of-god-s-611dc4e1b7d2
#Philosophy #Cicero #Divine #Arguments #Stoic #Epicurean #Skeptic #Gods -
The new possibilities of deciphering the #Herculaneum papyri with #AI will have a deep impact on our understanding of #Epicurean #philosophy as many of the up until now lost texts were written by #Philodemus who was a known Epicurean at the time and the owner of this library.
More on this in this very detailed article. The first deciphered text seems to be a treatise on pleasure and music. I'm really looking forward to the first commented editions.
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The transgenerational #trauma of #PartusSequiturVentrem is real AF
The most #American example remixes #Epicurean #philosophy with #grief
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I'm in the garden sitting in the shade listening to music (still covid-y but only just). Epicurus has a point, a beer and a mate to share it with be good 😀 #Epicurus #epicurean
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Here's a short piece of reflections on a passage in On The Shortness Of Life where Seneca points out the riches thinkers past offer us. Our only cost? Giving them our attention and thought.
https://medium.com/practical-rationality/senecas-insights-about-listening-to-voices-from-the-past-c28bc77ee863
#Short #Seneca #Philosophy #Stoic #Epicurean #Cynic #Plato #Life -
Sounds very #Epicurean...
"#Epicurus asserted that philosophy's purpose is to attain as well as to help others attain happy (eudaimonic), tranquil lives characterized by ataraxia (peace and freedom from fear) and aponia (the absence of pain). He advocated that people were best able to pursue philosophy by living a self-sufficient life surrounded by #friends."
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Jefferson was a pagan and an #Epicurean, his compatriots were skeptical of his personal virtues.
The entire cohort of Founding Fathers were mostly deists steeped in Roman and Greek thought, who viewed the role of #Christianity as wholly unfit for the purpose of #governance.