Considered the founder of Epicureanism, the view that life’s highest aim is happiness attained through moderate pleasures and the avoidance of mental disturbance, Epicurus endorsed the view that happiness is achieved by moderation. More specifically, he holds that pleasure is an attitude of imperturbable emotional calm and that pleasure is achieved by way of simplicity of a sensible diet, good friends, and prudent morals.
Among Epicurus’s views on achieving an imperturbable emotional calm is that death is not to be feared. His reasoning is that, although gods are real, they do not interfere in human affairs, and since humans are mere collections of atoms, death is a mere matter of those atoms’ dispersal.
A Stoic, Epictetus argues that happiness is achieved by understanding what is up to us and what is outside our control. For if we understand, and practice, this difference, we will not be bothered by that which we cannot influence.
7.3 Sextus Empiricus
Sextus Empiricus advocates skepticism, the view that we lack knowledge in some fundamental way. Be it derived from sense experience or reason, a knowledge claim is doubtful, according to the skeptic, and so we must suspend judgment. If we attend to appearances, we will be less inclined to make the sorts of claims advanced by the likes of Plato.
"Mwanzoni mwa Epicurism, Epikuro alidai kwamba ""mwisho wa maisha ni furaha inayopatikana kwa kufurahia vitu vya kiasi na kuepuka usumbufu wa kiakili,"" na baadaye alidai kwamba furaha inapatikana kwa kiasi." Kwa mfano, yeye anaamini kwamba furaha ni mtazamo wa utulivu wa kihisia-moyo usio na wasiwasi na kwamba furaha hupatikana kwa njia ya unyenyekevu wa chakula cha busara, marafiki wazuri, na maadili ya busara. Miongoni mwa maoni ya Epicurus kuhusu kupata utulivu wa kihisia-moyo usioweza kutikiswa ni kwamba kifo hakipaswi kuogopwa. Kwa sababu hiyo, ingawa miungu ni halisi, haingiliani katika mambo ya kibinadamu, na kwa kuwa wanadamu ni makundi tu ya atomu, kifo ni suala la kuenea kwa atomu hizo. Epictetus, mwanatheolojia wa kiStoiki, alidai kwamba furaha hupatikana kwa kuelewa kile kinachotuhusu na kile kisicho chini ya udhibiti wetu. Kwa maana ikiwa tunaelewa, na kufanya mazoezi, tofauti hii, hatutakuwa na wasiwasi na kile ambacho hatuwezi kuathiri. Sextus Empiricus aliandika kwamba watu wanaamini kwamba hakuna kitu kinachoweza kuwa na msingi. Ikiwa inatokana na uzoefu wa hisia au sababu, madai ya maarifa ni ya kutiliwa shaka, kulingana na mtu mwenye kutilia shaka, na kwa hivyo lazima tuondoke katika uamuzi. Kama tutashikilia sura, tutakuwa na mwelekeo mdogo wa kufanya aina ya madai yaliyoendelezwa na watu kama Plato.