What was the general Epicurean world view ?
I am no philosopher but,
I always took it to be an interesting counter-point to a Stoic view.
They both held to a view that the world of ideas was superior to the
physical world, but treated the physical world differently. To a
Stoic, the evil physical world polluted the mental/idea world and
should therefore be avoided or suppressed. To an Epicurean, the two
worlds do not impact each other. The physical world of little import
could be indulged or not since it didn't matter.
I was not aware of a strong stand that either took on the gods
(although that in itself is a stand - the gods don't matter much if
at all).
Dave wrote:
>I can make sense of this in connection with the Epicurean view that
>everything is atoms and the void, with falling atoms connecting and
>disconnecting in all possible combinations. Consequently, every
>combination exists someplace.
This certainly sounds like the pre-big bang view of an infinite
universe (in time and space) in which there is plenty of time for all
outcomes (this specific universe included) to occur.
Al McCarrick
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