The Fourfold Remedy

Author: John Sellars
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0241419611
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 59

Book Description
What do we really need in order to live a happy life? An Epicurean antidote to anxiety Over two thousand years ago the Greek philosopher Epicurus offered a seemingly simple answer: all we really want is pleasure. Today we tend to associate the word 'Epicurean' with the enjoyment of fine food and wine and decadent self-indulgence. But, as philosopher John Sellars shows, these things are a world away from the vision of a pleasant life developed by Epicurus and his followers who were more concerned with mental pleasures and avoiding pain. Their goal, in short, was a life of tranquillity. In this uplifting and elegant book, Sellars walks us through the history of Epicureanism from a private garden on the edge of ancient Athens to the streets of Rome, showing us how it can help us think anew about joy, friendship, nature and being alive in the world.

The Art of Happiness

Author: Epicurus
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 110160865X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 292

Book Description
The brilliant writings of a highly influential Greek philosopher, with a foreword by Daniel Klein, author of Travels with Epicurus The teachings of Epicurus—about life and death, religion and science, physical sensation, happiness, morality, and friendship—attracted legions of adherents throughout the ancient Mediterranean world and deeply influenced later European thought. Though Epicurus faced hostile opposition for centuries after his death, he counts among his many admirers Thomas Hobbes, Thomas Jefferson, Karl Marx, and Isaac Newton. This volume includes all of his extant writings—his letters, doctrines, and Vatican sayings—alongside parallel passages from the greatest exponent of his philosophy, Lucretius, extracts from Diogenes Laertius' Life of Epicurus, a lucid introductory essay about Epicurean philosophy, and a foreword by Daniel Klein, author of Travels with Epicurus and coauthor of the New York Times bestseller Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar. For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Lessons in Stoicism

Author: John Sellars
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0241382920
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 58

Book Description
How can Stoicism inspire us to lead more enjoyable lives? In the past few years, Stoicism has been making a comeback. But what exactly did the Stoics believe? In Lessons in Stoicism, philosopher John Sellars weaves together the key ideas of the three great Roman Stoics -- Seneca, Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius -- with snapshots of their fascinating lives, to show us how their ideas can help us today. In vivid prose, Sellars shows how the works of these three Stoics have inspired readers ever since, speaking as they do to some of the perennial issues that face anyone trying to navigate their way through life. Their works, fundamentally, are about how to live -- how to understand one's place in the world, how to cope when things don't go well, how to manage one's emotions and how to behave towards others. Consoling and inspiring, Lessons in Stoicism is a deeply thoughtful guide to the philosophy of a good life.

The Art of Living

Author: John Sellars
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1472521110
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 241

Book Description
Ancient philosophy was conceived as a way of life or an art of living, but if ancient philosophers did think that philosophy should transform an individual's way of life, then what conception of philosophy stands behind this claim? John Sellars explores this question through a detailed account of ancient Stoic ideas about the nature and function of philosophy. He considers the Socratic background to Stoic thinking about philosophy and Sceptical objections raised by Sextus Empiricus, and offers readings of late Stoic texts by Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius. Sellars argues that the conception of philosophy as an 'art of living', inaugurated by Socrates and developed by the Stoics, has persisted since antiquity and remains a living alternative to modern attempts to assimilate philosophy to the natural sciences. It also enables us to rethink the relationship between an individual's philosophy and their biography. The book appears here in paperback for the first time with a new Preface by the author.

Stoicism

Author: John Sellars
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317493915
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 220

Book Description
This is the first introduction to Stoic philosophy for 30 years. Aimed at readers new to Stoicism and to ancient philosophy, it outlines the central philosophical ideas of Stoicism and introduces the reader to the different ancient authors and sources that they will encounter when exploring Stoicism. The range of sources that are drawn upon in the reconstruction of Stoic philosophy can be bewildering for the beginner. Sellars guides the reader through the surviving works of the late Stoic authors, Seneca and Epictetus, and the fragments relating to the early Stoics found in authors such as Plutarch and Stobaeus. The opening chapter offers an introduction to the ancient Stoics, their works, and other ancient authors who report material about ancient Stoic philosophy. The second chapter considers how the Stoics themselves conceived philosophy and how they structured their own philosophical system. Chapters 3-5 offer accounts of Stoic philosophical doctrines arranged according to the Stoic division of philosophical discourse into three parts: logic, physics, and ethics. The final chapter considers the later impact of Stoicism on Western philosophy. At the end of the volume there is a detailed guide to further reading.

The Pocket Epicurean

Author: John Sellars
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022679864X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 133

Book Description
"We tend to associate the term 'Epicurean' with the enjoyment of fine food and wine. But these things are a world away from the vision of a simple but pleasurable life conceived by Epicurus and his followers, who were primarily concerned with mental pleasure and with avoiding pain. Their goal, in short, was a life of tranquility. In a charming essay of 15,000 words, Sellars walks us through the history of Epicureanism. We explore a constructive way of thinking about the pleasures of friendship, our place in the world, and, perhaps most importantly, the meaning of death and why we should not fear it. The Pocket Epicurean draws on ancient wisdom in a way that feels relevant today, offering a wise way of thinking about what truly matters in our lives. It will be an excellent companion to The Pocket Stoic: both titles will appeal to contemporary readers who are looking for intelligent self-help and practical philosophical reflections on how to live a good life"--

Human Nature in Its Fourfold State

Author: Thomas Boston
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Salvation
Languages : en
Pages : 470

Book Description

The Fourfold Path to Healing

Author: Thomas S. Cowan
Publisher: New Trends Publishing
ISBN: 9780967089799
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
"I had not encountered Dr. Thomas Cowan before reviewing this book--boy, have I been missing something ... This book is probably the best self-help guide for the healing arts that has ever been written" --Nancy Parsons, waldorfbooks.com "Readers will be pleased to know that its author, Dr. Thomas Cowan, combines the best of Eastern and Western esoteric wisdom in the healing arts with the best of modern findings in Western medicine.... This collaboration pulls together a mix of expertise that offers health seekers some truly holistic solutions." --Duncan M. Roads, editor, Nexus magazine What is the Fourfold Path to Healing? It is a unique, comprehensive view of medicine, a holistic approach to healing that integrates the four aspects of our bodies: the Physical, the Life Force, the Emotional, and the Mental. Its principles are simple: right diet for healing the physical body; beneficial medicines or therapies for the life-force body, healing movement and exercise for the emotional body, and effective thinking activity for the mental body. Dr. Cowan merges the wisdom of traditional societies, the most modern findings of western medicine and the esoteric teachings of the ancients as he works to answer this most important question: How do we obtain true health? The Fourfold Path presents a unique, comprehensive view of medicine that will challenge your deepest beliefs, while revealing a practical approach to healing. The "fourfold approach" includes: Nutrition, using nutrient-dense traditional foods; Therapeutics through a wide range of nontoxic remedies; Movement to heal and strengthen the emotions; Meditation to develop one's powers of objective thought. CONTENTS: PART 1: THE FOURFOLD APPROACH Nutrition: Healing the Physical Body Therapeutics: Healing the Life-Force Body Movement: Healing the Emotional Body Meditation: Healing the Mental Body PART 2: THE ART OF MEDICINE Infectious Disease Cancer Heart Disease Hypertension Diabetes Diseases of Adrenal Insufficiency Digestive Disorders Chronic Fatigue Women's Diseases Men's Diseases Weight Loss Depression Back Pain Arthritis Neurological Diseases How to Be a Patient APPENDICES Cooking Instructions Therapy Instructions Movement Instructions Sources This book is a great companion to Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions, (New Trends Publishing, 1999).

Oxford Handbook of Epicurus and Epicureanism

Author: Phillip Mitsis
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0197522009
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 848

Book Description
The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus (341-270 BCE), though often despised for his materialism, hedonism, and denial of the immortality of the soul during many periods of history, has at the same time been a source of inspiration to figures as diverse as Vergil, Hobbes, Thomas Jefferson, and Bentham. This volume offers authoritative discussions of all aspects of Epicurus's philosophy and then traces out some of its most important subsequent influences throughout the Western intellectual tradition. Such a detailed and comprehensive study of Epicureanism is especially timely given the tremendous current revival of interest in Epicurus and his rivals, the Stoics. The thirty-one contributions in this volume offer an unmatched resource for all those wishing to deepen their knowledge of Epicurus' powerful arguments about happiness, death, and the nature of the material world and our place in it. At the same time, his arguments are carefully placed in the context of ancient and subsequent disputes, thus offering readers the opportunity of measuring Epicurean arguments against a wide range of opponents--from Platonists, Aristotelians and Stoics, to Hegel and Nietzsche, and finally on to such important contemporary philosophers as Thomas Nagel and Bernard Williams. The volume offers separate and detailed discussions of two fascinating and ongoing sources of Epicurean arguments, the Herculaneum papyri and the inscription of Diogenes of Oenoanda. Our understanding of Epicureanism is continually being enriched by these new sources of evidence and the contributors to this volume have been able to make use of them in presenting the most current understanding of Epicurus's own views. By the same token, the second half of the volume is devoted to the extraordinary influence of Epicurean doctrines, often either neglected or misunderstood, in literature, political thinking, scientific innovation, personal conceptions of freedom and happiness, and in philosophy generally. Taken together, the contributions in this volume offer the most comprehensive and detailed account of Epicurus and Epicureanism available in English.

Hellenistic Philosophy

Author: John Sellars
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192559710
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 227

Book Description
The Hellenistic period was a rich and exciting time for philosophy. It saw the birth of two new schools of thought, Epicureanism and Stoicism, and important developments in Plato's Academy. Aristotelians and Cynics were also active during the period, all of which created a vibrant philosophical landscape. Many of the ideas now associated with early modern and enlightenment philosophy - such as empiricism, materialism, and religious scepticism - were widely discussed by Hellenistic philosophers. In Hellenistic Philosophy, Sellars offers a thematic introduction to the philosophy of this era. The author highlights the very practical outlook common of the time, in which philosophy was seen as a guide for life, and summarizes the key debates on a series of topics, ranging from epistemology to political philosophy. The works of Hellenistic philosophers had a vital influence on later thought, and especially on the development of early modern philosophy. In providing an accessible outline of this important era, the book is of particular use to students and general readers interested in the period. It is also an invaluable resource for teaching with its guide to Hellenistic philosophers, chronology, and extensive cross-references to standard collections of ancient texts.