Letter to Menoeceus
E298891
Letter to Menoeceus is a short ethical treatise by Epicurus that outlines his philosophy of pleasure, virtue, and the rational pursuit of a tranquil life.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Letter to Menoeceus canonical | 7 |
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
ethical treatise
ⓘ
letter ⓘ philosophical work ⓘ |
| aim | to provide a concise summary of Epicurean ethics ⓘ |
| approximateDate | 3rd century BCE ⓘ |
| author | Epicurus ⓘ |
| containedIn | Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers ⓘ |
| ethicalView |
fear of gods and death is a main source of human anxiety
ⓘ
future and past should not disturb present tranquility ⓘ living pleasantly requires living prudently, honorably, and justly ⓘ philosophy should be practiced at every age ⓘ pleasure is the beginning and end of the blessed life ⓘ prudence is the greatest virtue ⓘ simple living contributes to tranquility ⓘ virtue is inseparable from pleasure ⓘ |
| genre | didactic letter ⓘ |
| historicalPeriod | Hellenistic philosophy ⓘ |
| influenceOn |
Roman Epicureans
ⓘ
later Hellenistic ethics ⓘ modern discussions of hedonism ⓘ |
| language | Ancient Greek ⓘ |
| length | short ⓘ |
| mainTheme |
ataraxia
ⓘ
ethics ⓘ fear of death ⓘ gods ⓘ happiness ⓘ pleasure ⓘ prudence ⓘ rational choice ⓘ tranquility ⓘ virtue ⓘ |
| partOf |
Book 10 on Epicurus
ⓘ
surface form:
Epicurus' letters
|
| philosophicalConcept |
absence of pain
ⓘ
friendship ⓘ hedonism ⓘ justice as a social contract ⓘ limit of pleasure ⓘ natural and necessary desires ⓘ natural but unnecessary desires ⓘ self-sufficiency ⓘ vain desires ⓘ |
| philosophicalSchool | Epicureanism ⓘ |
| positionOnDeath | death is nothing to us ⓘ |
| positionOnGods | gods exist but are not to be feared ⓘ |
| preservedBy |
Diogenes Laertius, Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers
ⓘ
surface form:
Diogenes Laertius
|
| targetAudience |
Menoeceus
ⓘ
students of Epicureanism ⓘ |
Referenced by (7)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
subject surface form:
tetrapharmakos