Both Stoicism and Epicureanism have fallen prey to stereotypes: Stoics are supposedly cold and unemotional, while Epicureans are believed to be pleasure-obsessed hedonists.
In reality, these two ancient philosophical movements cannot be reduced to such simplistic stereotypes. Although they are difficult to summarize concisely, this article will offer a brief overview of the two schools of philosophy before analyzing their similarities and differences concerning a variety of aspects, such as epistemology, ethics, metaphysics, and pleasure.
Philosophy 101
First off, let’s dive into a bit of Philosophy 101—if you’re already well-versed in philosophy, feel free to skip on ahead.
Philosophy means “love of knowledge” and, in general, views knowledge and understanding as the key to leading a happy existence.
Ancient Greek philosophy, known through some of its greatest philosophers, such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, has profoundly affected Western culture and politics for more than two thousand years.
Among the areas that Greek philosophy has impacted include politics (laying the foundation for democracy), ethics (exploring “right and wrong”), critical thinking (how to effectively reason and debate), logic (paving the way for modern science), and the idea of happiness.
Stoicism overview
Stoicism was founded by the Greek philosopher Zeno and had a strong afterlife through the Ancient Roman period, with one Roman emperor—Marcus Aurelius—even writing a Stoic-inspired work (Meditations).
An aspect of Stoicism that perhaps explains its longstanding appeal is that it aspires to be a practical philosophy, that is, a guide to how to live one’s life in the best way possible.
In fact, Zeno argued that the primary goal we should all have is “a good flow of life” and to live “in agreement with nature.”
In defining what is “good,” Stoicism offers some interesting ideas. Something like money cannot be good, only “indifferent,” because it depends on how one uses it. For the Stoics, only certain character traits can be truly good, such as wisdom, courage, moderation, and a sense of justice.
Epicureanism overview
Epicureanism gets its name from the philosophy of Epicurus, another ancient Greek philosopher.
Epicurus devised a system of philosophy that aimed to define the goal of human life as well as offer a theory of knowledge (among many other things).
Although nowadays people tend to associate Epicureanism with hedonism, that is, the pursuit of pleasure above all else, the philosophy is much more nuanced than that.
Ultimately, Epicureanism raised more questions than it answered, but such is the nature of philosophy—after all, the Socratic method depends upon asking questions.
Despite some of its ambiguity, however, Epicureanism believes that we should reject negative emotions such as fear of death and pursue physical and emotional pleasures instead to live a happy life.
Stoicism vs. Epicureanism
This is no sports match or competition. That is to say, there’s no need to declare a “winner” between Stoicism and Epicureanism. It will depend on each individual to decide which school of philosophy is most suitable and, in fact, a blend of the two might make a lot of sense.
To give you a better idea of how these two philosophies stack up, we’re going to compare and contrast four central aspects they have in common: epistemology, ethics, metaphysics, and pleasure.
Epistemology
Epistemology is the study of knowledge in terms of how we know what we know.
The Stoics demonstrated a keen interest in epistemology, particularly in their insistence that we should be skeptical about the first impressions granted to us by our senses. Instead of believing them outright, we should use reason to question these impressions and decide whether or not they are valid.
Epicurus had an interesting take on this idea, in that he believed that the senses cannot lie to us, but rather it is our own judgments of the senses that might cause erroneous perception. As such, Epicureanism favors the senses whereas Stoicism favors the use of reasoning.
Ethics
Ethics is a branch of knowledge concerned with moral behavior and principles.
The Stoics felt that those people who attained a consistent level of rational thinking would naturally follow an ethical course of action in their pursuit of virtue as the ultimate end.
From the Greeks through to the Roman Stoics, there remained an insistence on living in accordance with nature, so Stoic ethics depends on behaving in a way that honors the natural world as well as human’s special capacity for reason.
Epicurus, on the other hand, defines value by pleasure. Nonetheless, to behave in an ethical way requires a virtuous, moderate life to attain the greatest possibility of pleasure (and thus happiness).
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a difficult term to describe. For ancient philosophers, however, metaphysics generally has to do with the question of existence or “being” (otherwise known as “ontology”).
For the Stoics, one explanation for existence lies in pantheism, the view that god is reflected in the entire universe, and we are a part of that universe.
The Epicureans, on the other hand, believed that god would not concern himself with earthly affairs, as this would cause pain.
In this way, both Stoics and Epicureans neither accept nor reject a god like that of the major monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Rather, they believe in a god responsible for the laws of nature, which abide by a supreme rationality.
Pleasure
The Stoics, despite popular belief, did not dismiss pleasure outright. Rather, they held a healthy skepticism for the most dangerous pleasures.
To properly cultivate joy, the Stoics believed that it needed to be earned. They found pleasure in self-improvement, in living as virtuously as possible.
For Epicurus, there is a narrow link between pleasure and the satisfaction of desires. In his view, the greatest danger to our pleasure (i.e. happiness) is worry about the future, particularly a fear of death or the gods.
Ultimately, Epicurus wanted us to feel confident rather than fearful about the possibility of having our desires fulfilled in the future, which allows us to reach ataraxia, that is, tranquility.
Wrapping up
Ultimately, there is no right or wrong when it comes to choosing between Stoicism and Epicureanism. It depends most importantly on your perspective as an individual and what you prioritize in your life.
In any case, Stoicism and Epicureanism have admirable and intriguing beliefs about self-improvement, virtue, and pleasure.
Whether you favor Stoicism or Epicureanism, their philosophies remain startlingly relevant today in the modern world, where we are obsessed with “wellness,” “happiness,” and living “the good life.”
References
Stoicism and Epicurus —Similarities and Differences by Victor Lange
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/stoicism/#Phil
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/epicurus/#PsycEthi
