#cyrenaics

3 Dhū'l-Hijja 1443 \\ 3 july 2022

🏺 B O O K R E V I E W I S H🏺

been a bit busier recently since i started working, but tonight i finished diogenes' sayings and anecdotes: with other popular moralists, 180 pages with the introduction and notes excluded.

what i expected: a book full of semi-lighthearted semi-deep anecdotes about diogenes the cynic's life and utterances of his

what i got: legit education about cynicism, the early cynics, about the cyrenaics and about epicureanism. and semi-lighthearted and semi-deep anecdotes and utterances not only of diogenes but also antisthenes, crates of thebes, bion of borysthenes, aristippos of cyrene and theodoros the atheist, etc.

i felt that sublime feeling of sparked interest, a feeling of intoxication?? from being intellectually stimulated, whilst reading this. this book was so much broader in its scope than i had imagined it. i learnt alot, not only about diogenes but about the whole school of cynicism and about the early cynics, also about the cyrenaics and their early philosophers, and i even had my understanding of epicureanism widened (i had earlier perceived epicureanism as being "ultra-hedonist"; when in fact this is more appropriate to call the cyrenaics, and when epicurus actually taught to live "hedonistically" only in so far as to avoid suffering/ pain - not to indulge. i don't know how i didn't know this earlier, but i'm grateful for now having acquired this piece of knowledge!!).

this book touched me; i find it incredibly interesting to read and learn how other people view the world and life here, and so on. a section on happiness as discussed by crates of thebes (p.98-99) probably touched me the most as i heavily relate to, and agree with, his view. it felt a bit like reading my own thoughts, only formulated by a philosopher and tutor of great men from greece during the 300s BC.

Marcus: “My head hurts so much…I can hear my eyelash collide every time I blink, it sounds like a wheat thresher.”

Lucius: “What did you do last night?”

Marcus: “I went out and got super drunk, then left and went to one of those all-you-can-eat buffets. I ended the night at the brothel, where I used some of my tuition money in order to get two girls at the same time! I lived last night.”

Lucius: “Good god man, what is wrong with you. You need to stop living your life like a Cyrenaic.”

Marcus: “…A what?”

Lucius: “Like a Cyrenaic.”

Marcus: “Don’t you mean, like an Epicurean?”

Lucius: “Why would I say that? The Epicureans didn’t indulge in pleasures like that.”

Marcus: “Yes they did; that’s what acting like an Epicurean means, that you act like a gluttonous, lust-filled, orgy lover who lives only in the moment without thinking about the consequences.”

Lucius: “Well, that’s what the modern understanding of the Epicureans is, but it is grossly incorrect. The Cyrenaics were the ones who lived in that fashion, the Epicureans had a lot more in common with the Christian ascetics that followed them.”

Marcus: “Epicureans have things in common with Christians? DO GO ON!!!”

Lucius: “…I shall!”

Lucius: “Epicurus––the founder of Epicureanism, obviously––held that pleasure was the highest good; however, he claimed that the absence of pain was the greatest pleasure. In order to achieve this perfect state removed from all pain, certain pleasures should be pursued and others rejected. Epicurus, therefore, claimed that there are three categories of desires: 1.) Natural and Necessary 2.) Natural and Unnecessary 3.) Vain and Empty. The natural and necessary desires are, basically, what keeps you alive: basic foods and water, clothing to fend off the cold, and some sort of shelter. Vain and empty desires include power, fame, wealth, political office, etc. Natural and Unnecessary desires are a little more hazy. This category includes things that merely vary pleasure: sex, expensive food, exotic wines, etc. Epicurus suggests that the only category of desires that you should pursue are the natural and necessary desires; the other two categories should be eliminated in order to achieve tranquillity (ataraxia). Therefore, once you secure a steady supply of bread, water, any sort of clothing and dwelling, you are set!”

Marcus: “Jesus, that sounds miserably boring.”

Lucius: “Doesn’t it? An interesting doctrine to follow: pleasure should be pursued because it the highest good based on the desires of the majority; however, most pleasures should be rejected because although they might seem like a good idea in the short term, they will result in pain in the long term. Therefore, since the basic necessities can fulfill your needs, you should desire nothing more than those in order to be content.”

Marcus: “Now wait a minute; there has to be more to Epicureanism then that.”

Lucius: “Of course there is, but I am only trying to show you what they believed in regards to pleasure, not their entire system of belief. The Epicureans have an interesting philosophy because of how much of it has been misrepresented throughout the years. I just wanted you to know that when you act like a gluttonous, indulgent, seeker of delights, you are not living in the spirt of the Epicureans, but just like the Cyrenaics.”

Marcus: “And who are these fascinating Cyrenaics then?!

Source: Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals. Translated from the Greek by several hands. Corrected and revised by. William W. Goodwin, PH. D. Boston. Little, Brown, and Company. Cambridge. Press Of John Wilson and son. 1874.