(October 4, 2015 at 7:38 am)EvidenceVersusFaith Wrote:(October 4, 2015 at 12:01 am)bennyboy Wrote: EVF why don't you give an example of a philosophy that is unfairly judged because of its abuse, if you haven't already?
Epicurianism. People think it's all about mindless pleasure seeking and hedonism, the modern meaning of the word has even since been twisted to just mean self-indulgene. It's more about having good friends, especially like minded people - and other worthwhile things.
Quote:Modern usage and misconceptions[edit]
In modern popular usage, an epicurean is a connoisseur of the arts of life and the refinements of sensual pleasures; epicureanism implies a love or knowledgeable enjoyment especially of good food and drink—see the definition of gourmet at Wiktionary.
Because Epicureanism posits that pleasure is the ultimate good (telos), it has been commonly misunderstood since ancient times as a doctrine that advocates the partaking in fleeting pleasures such as constant partying, sexual excess and decadent food. This is not the case. Epicurus regarded ataraxia (tranquility, freedom from fear) and aponia (absence of pain) as the height of happiness. He also considered prudence an important virtue and perceived excess and overindulgence to be contrary to the attainment of ataraxia and aponia.[11]
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicureanism
Okay. I'd add capitalism and communism to the list.
But has the abuse of epicureanism really been a big problem for anybody. . . at all?
