will not consider any one else of equal importance with himself; and he will see that if he were to obtain ever such great advantages from any one else, they would not be equal to what he could himself bestow. Hence the sage ought to regard nothing but himself; action is quite indifferent; and if action, so also is life, which, therefore, is in no way more desirable than death: The wise person would not be so much absorbed in the pursuit of what is good, as in the attempt to avoid what is bad, considering the chief good to be living free from all trouble and pain: and that this end was attained best by those who looked upon the efficient causes of pleasure as indifferent. None of this, however, is as strong as the testimony of Cicero, who claims that Hegesias wrote a book called Death by Starvation (), in which a man who has resolved to starve himself is introduced as representing to his friends that death is actually more to be desired than life, and that the gloomy descriptions of human misery which this work contained were so overpowering that they inspired many people to kill themselves, in consequence of which the author received the surname of Death-persuader (Peisithanatos). The book was said to have been published at Alexandria, where he was, in consequence, forbidden to teach by king Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285–246 BC). Indian connection The philosophy of the Cyrenaics around the time of Hegesias of Cyrene evolved in a way that had similarities with Pyrrhonism, Epicureanism, and also Buddhism. The rulers of Cyrene around the time Hegesias flourished were Ophellas and then Magas, as governors of the Ptolemaic king of Egypt Ptolemy II Philadelphus, and from 276 BC Magas as independent king. Both Ptolemy and Magas are claimed to have been recipients of Buddhist missionaries from the Indian king Ashoka according to the latter's Edicts. Ashoka claimed in his rock edicts No13: The philosophy of Hegesias displays striking similarities with the tenets of Buddhism, in particular the Four Noble Truths and the concept of Dukkha or "suffering". It is therefore sometimes thought that Hegesias may have been directly influenced by Buddhist teachings through contacts with the alleged missionaries sent to his rulers in the 3rd century BC. See also Existential nihilism Negative utilitarianism Philosophical pessimism Ancient Greece–Ancient India relations Notes Citations References External links