Section outline

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    General - Introduction To Epicurean Philosophy

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    • You're browsing as a visitor. You can read all six session books without an account. Create a free account to unlock the self-test lessons, quizzes, progress tracking, class discussions and certificate of completion. Already have one? Log in.

    • About This Course - Introduction to Epicurean Philosophy Page
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      This course gives you a clear, complete overview of Epicurean philosophy: the life and times of Epicurus, his physics, his theory of knowledge (Canonics), and his ethics – along with the main modern controversies over how his teachings should be understood.

      It is free and entirely self-paced: six sessions, about four hours in all, with no deadlines and no live classes. Each session follows the same three steps – read the session's book, practise with an ungraded self-test lesson, and test your understanding with a short quiz (80% to pass, and you can retake it as often as you like). Pass all six and you can download a certificate of completion.

      Anyone can read the books without an account. A free account unlocks the lessons, quizzes, progress tracking, class discussions and the certificate.

    • Course Announcements Forum
      Here you will find news and announcements about the course as it starts and progresses.
    • Course FAQ Page
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      Here you will find Frequently Asked Questions about this course.

    • Epicurus College Master Glossary
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      Here you will find a glossary of words of special significance in Epicurean philosophy.  The glossary includes definitions and discussion of Greek words of special importance such as "ataraxia," "aponia," and other special terminology.

    • Ongoing Discussion of this Course At Epicureanfriends.com (for use after and between courses) URL
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      For detailed philosophical questions beyond the scope of this class, or for ongoing discussion afterwards, please see the EpicureanFriends.com forum here.

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    Session 1: Sources and the Big Picture

    A fast overview of Epicurus's key conclusions, so you can see how the details in later sessions fit together before you get to them.

    Reading ~10 min · Self-test ~15 min · Quiz ~5 min — about 30 minutes total

    • Epicurean Philosophy - The Big Picture Book
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      In this first session we will study an overview of Epicurean philosophy so that as we proceed you will see how the pieces fit together into a consistent whole.

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    Session 2: Historical Perspectives

    Where Epicurus fits into the history of philosophy, the common myths about him corrected, and the five traditions (Stoicism, Platonism, Supernatural Religion, Skepticism, and Humanism) that have distorted how he has been read ever since.

    Reading ~15 min · Self-test ~15 min · Quiz ~10 min — about 40 minutes total

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    Session 3: Physics — The Nature of the Universe

    Why the universe is entirely natural, with no supernatural gods and no intelligent design behind it, and how atoms and void account for everything that exists.

    Reading ~15 min · Self-test ~15 min · Quiz ~12 min — about 40 minutes total

    • Basics of Epicurean Physics Book
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      Why the universe is entirely natural — no supernatural gods, no intelligent design, just atoms and void.

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    Session 4: Canonics — How We Know What We Know

    How knowledge is possible at all: the senses, anticipations, and feelings that Nature gives every person as the tools for telling truth from falsehood.

    Reading ~25 min · Self-test ~15 min · Quiz ~12 min — about 50 minutes total

    • Basics of Epicurean Canonics Book
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      How knowledge is possible at all, and what tools Nature gives us to tell truth from falsehood.

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    Session 5: Ethics — How to Live

    Why pleasure, not virtue or tranquility, is the goal of life; what that actually means in practice; and how friendship and justice fit into a pleasurable life.

    Reading ~30 min · Self-test ~15 min · Quiz ~14 min — about 1 hour total

    • Basics of Epicurean Ethics Book
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      Why pleasure is the goal of life, and what that actually means in practice.

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    Session 6: Recap — The Big Picture Revisited

    A comprehensive review pulling together the whole course, with one last self-test and quiz to confirm everything has sunk in.

    Reading ~5 min · Self-test ~15 min · Quiz ~10 min — about 30 minutes total

    • A Recap of the Big Picture Book
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      A comprehensive review pulling together everything from the course.