PHILOS 1A03 Lecture : Epicurus
13 Jan 2013
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Epicurus not an atheist. (2) gods are unconcerned with human affairs. (3) gods are nothing for people to fear. In fact, they are a model for our own happiness. Why indifferent? (1) according to the universal belief, gods are immortal and blessed. So they cannot suffer or inflict suffering, or feel anger or favor. (2) happiness, whether for a god or a human being, consists in uninterrupted tranquility. If the gods intervene any way, it could only be from some disturbance of their tranquility. The gods are immortal; they have no troubles, and therefore never trouble others. (3) the existence of evil proves the indifference of the gods. They have the foresight and power to prevent it, but do not do so. Atomism: all bodies are either atomic or compound, nothing comes from nothing or disappears into nothing, cosmos: bodies + void.
