Living for Pleasure: An Epicurean Guide to Life

This discerning debut from Austin, a philosophy professor at Wake Forest University, defends the ancient Greek ethical philosophy of Epicureanism. “Pleasures both large and small give shape and color to our lives,” suggests Austin, examining the insights of fourth-century BCE philosopher Epicurus on how to eliminate anxiety and enjoy life. Austin outlines Epicurus’s biography and focuses on his founding of the Garden, a “philosophical community” near Athens characterized by frequent socializing and celebrations. The author explores Epicurus’s belief that the “rational capacities” of humans produce unique desires—including the need for close friends and a “commitment to virtues”—that must be met to achieve happiness. Science plays a vital role in the philosopher’s conception of the good life, Austin contends, because he believed that it vanquished superstitions, though she notes his contention that science helps inhibit fear of death is difficult to support given the complex interplay between knowledge and anxiety during the Covid-19 pandemic. Austin provides an accessible and intellectually rigorous overview of Epicureanism that remains refreshingly forthright about the limits of Epicurus’s advice and keeps an appropriately light tone (Epicurus was not the “ringleader of life-long frat boys in period-appropriate togas,” she writes). The result is an excellent primer on Epicureanism. (Nov.)