Cyrenaic school of philosophy

E46552

ancient Greek philosophical school ethical theory hedonistic school of philosophy

The Cyrenaic school of philosophy was an ancient Greek hedonistic movement, founded in Cyrene, that taught immediate physical pleasure as the highest good and the primary aim of life.

Observed surface forms (3)

Surface form	Occurrences
Cyrenaic school	5
Cyrenaics	2
Cyrenaicism	1

Statements (49)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	ancient Greek philosophical school ⓘ ethical theory ⓘ hedonistic school of philosophy ⓘ
coreTenet	future pleasures are uncertain and less important than present pleasures ⓘ immediate bodily pleasure is the primary aim of life ⓘ knowledge is limited to one’s own sensations ⓘ only present experiences are knowable ⓘ pleasure and pain are the only intrinsic goods and evils ⓘ pleasure is the highest good ⓘ self-control is needed to maximize pleasure and avoid pain ⓘ virtue is valuable only as a means to pleasure ⓘ we cannot know the external world as it is in itself ⓘ
countryOfOrigin	Greek Antiquity ⓘ surface form: Ancient Greece
ethicalStance	ethical hedonism ⓘ psychological hedonism ⓘ
foundedBy	Aristippus ⓘ surface form: Aristippus of Cyrene
hasMainInterest	epistemology ⓘ ethics ⓘ hedonism ⓘ
hasNotableMember	Anniceris ⓘ Arete of Cyrene ⓘ Aristippus ⓘ surface form: Aristippus of Cyrene Aristippus ⓘ surface form: Aristippus the Younger Hegesias of Cyrene ⓘ Theodorus the Atheist ⓘ
historicalSources	Cicero ⓘ Diogenes Laertius, Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers ⓘ surface form: Diogenes Laertius
influenced	Epicureanism ⓘ later hedonistic ethics ⓘ
influencedBy	Aristippus ⓘ surface form: Aristippus of Cyrene Socratic philosophy ⓘ
locatedInTheHistoricalRegion	Cyrenaica ⓘ
namedAfter	Cyrene ⓘ
philosophicalSchoolOf	Aristippus ⓘ surface form: Aristippus of Cyrene
placeOfOrigin	Cyrene ⓘ
subSchool	Annicerian school ⓘ Annicerian school ⓘ surface form: Hegesiac school Theodorean school ⓘ
timePeriod	4th century BCE ⓘ
tradition	Hellenic philosophy ⓘ School of Socrates ⓘ surface form: Socratic school
viewOnFuture	discounts long-term calculation in favor of present enjoyment ⓘ
viewOnKnowledge	asserts certainty only of one’s own feelings ⓘ skeptical about knowledge of external objects ⓘ
viewOnPain	pain is the greatest evil ⓘ
viewOnPleasure	emphasizes intense, momentary pleasures ⓘ prefers bodily pleasures over mental pleasures ⓘ
viewOnPolitics	generally indifferent to political life ⓘ
viewOnVirtue	virtue is instrumental, not an end in itself ⓘ