Epicureanism has contributions to CBT ( and was earlier than Stoicism ) but it was not so obvious and the founder of CBT declared Stoicism as the basic inspiration.
Epicureans CBT=> Some things are up to necessity, some coincidence, some up to us ; check opinions if they are empty ideas ; check the limits of your desires and consequences ; check your fears of superstition, death and pain/suffering; and check all your impulses and opinion/ ideas with using all your faculties and sober reasoning.
Thats much for CBT 😊
Also Philodemus has much contribution.
What increases the popularity of Stoicism is this feeling of becoming a hero who can conquer every misfortune , I think. The image of a hero draws more attention than a pleasent person sitting satisfied in the garden 😆
All very good points. I hadn't considered the Epicurean CBT connection, but that makes perfect sense. I completely agree that Stoicism appeals to people by the promise of making them impervious heroes. I'm glad you bring up Philodemus. His works are some of the most complete surviving documents in Epicurean thought and he definitely deserves a spotlight. Epicureanism appears less active, but an Epicurean lifestyle is also more satisfying and a better recipe for the peace that both Stoics and Epicureans are after. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Matthias!
I was also surprised by the concession that CBT is Stoic and that we can't match it, when so many of the Philodeman scrolls reflect similar therapeutic practices (against arrogance, etc.), and the scroll on anger gives such a useful framework (anger can be ir/rational as well as un/natural, and even virtuous if made productive so that it leads to pleasure in the end, and so it can be redeemed). Principal Doctrine 2 is a technique of "relabeling" death, for instance. The entire scroll "On Death" by Philodemus is therapeutic and one of the best works from Herculaneum, and Lucretius offers the symmetry argument for fear of death and other therapeutic arguments. Furthermore, Epicurean canonical methods encourage the updating of our practice by admitting empirical evidence on the science of happiness.
The only traditions that have a richer use of visualization techniques than Epicureanism are probably the Tibetan, and a few other Buddhist lineages. E preaches against isolation (which is a big problem today) and in favor of friendships. He even provides monthly ceremonies for friends to come together and, hopefully, grow old together in this wisdom like our predecessors did.
Epicurus' curriculum of control of desires is useful against the pressures of consumerism.
Furthermore, Vatican Saying 41 teaches a laughter practice. This is going to be one of my ways of dealing with the next four years, other than avoiding politics.
Kyriai Doxai itself is a vast pharmacopia of the soul. There is so much more that the Epicurean Kathegemones offer, but it's up to us to propagate it and teach others this Toolkit.
I feel like Epicureanism can contribute a lot in modern times.
I’ve found being able to find and savor the little pleasures throughout the day makes it so much easier to do everything I need to do during the day and do it with more enjoyment. It also gives me the mental energy to interact with others in a more wholesome and genuine way.
Moreover, the Epicureanism emphasis on reducing and eliminating mental disturbances has been helpful. For example, paying attention to feelings and sense perceptions as a means of collecting evidence is much more helpful than what I often previously did by brooding or over-analyzing when my mind started coming up with unreasonable hypothetical scenarios about the past or future. For Epicurus, he focused on the gods, celestial phenomena, etc. , but I have found it helpful for as well for things like illness, financial problems, and social situations.
Thirdly, there’s the Epicurean emphasis on community. I’ve known people who spend so much time caught up with politics that they ignore their own problems and the problems of the people around them. Epicurus’ teachings on community help to remind me that there’s often a lot of good I can do for the people directly around me, even if it is just bringing some more pleasant memories to their life. This can be done regardless of the political situation at the time.
I agree absolutely. Simple self-awareness of pleasures enhances your well-being throughout the day and makes you more resilient. And focusing on your life and not the political situation around you is even more valuable in this time of mass media. Another aspect that attracted me to Epicureanism was its emphasis on simplicity. I realized I was already living an Epicurean lifestyle before I even knew the term.
Epicureanism has contributions to CBT ( and was earlier than Stoicism ) but it was not so obvious and the founder of CBT declared Stoicism as the basic inspiration.
Epicureans CBT=> Some things are up to necessity, some coincidence, some up to us ; check opinions if they are empty ideas ; check the limits of your desires and consequences ; check your fears of superstition, death and pain/suffering; and check all your impulses and opinion/ ideas with using all your faculties and sober reasoning.
Thats much for CBT 😊
Also Philodemus has much contribution.
What increases the popularity of Stoicism is this feeling of becoming a hero who can conquer every misfortune , I think. The image of a hero draws more attention than a pleasent person sitting satisfied in the garden 😆
All very good points. I hadn't considered the Epicurean CBT connection, but that makes perfect sense. I completely agree that Stoicism appeals to people by the promise of making them impervious heroes. I'm glad you bring up Philodemus. His works are some of the most complete surviving documents in Epicurean thought and he definitely deserves a spotlight. Epicureanism appears less active, but an Epicurean lifestyle is also more satisfying and a better recipe for the peace that both Stoics and Epicureans are after. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Matthias!
I was also surprised by the concession that CBT is Stoic and that we can't match it, when so many of the Philodeman scrolls reflect similar therapeutic practices (against arrogance, etc.), and the scroll on anger gives such a useful framework (anger can be ir/rational as well as un/natural, and even virtuous if made productive so that it leads to pleasure in the end, and so it can be redeemed). Principal Doctrine 2 is a technique of "relabeling" death, for instance. The entire scroll "On Death" by Philodemus is therapeutic and one of the best works from Herculaneum, and Lucretius offers the symmetry argument for fear of death and other therapeutic arguments. Furthermore, Epicurean canonical methods encourage the updating of our practice by admitting empirical evidence on the science of happiness.
The only traditions that have a richer use of visualization techniques than Epicureanism are probably the Tibetan, and a few other Buddhist lineages. E preaches against isolation (which is a big problem today) and in favor of friendships. He even provides monthly ceremonies for friends to come together and, hopefully, grow old together in this wisdom like our predecessors did.
Epicurus' curriculum of control of desires is useful against the pressures of consumerism.
Furthermore, Vatican Saying 41 teaches a laughter practice. This is going to be one of my ways of dealing with the next four years, other than avoiding politics.
Kyriai Doxai itself is a vast pharmacopia of the soul. There is so much more that the Epicurean Kathegemones offer, but it's up to us to propagate it and teach others this Toolkit.
Thanks for these comments. They inspired my most recent essay.
I feel like Epicureanism can contribute a lot in modern times.
I’ve found being able to find and savor the little pleasures throughout the day makes it so much easier to do everything I need to do during the day and do it with more enjoyment. It also gives me the mental energy to interact with others in a more wholesome and genuine way.
Moreover, the Epicureanism emphasis on reducing and eliminating mental disturbances has been helpful. For example, paying attention to feelings and sense perceptions as a means of collecting evidence is much more helpful than what I often previously did by brooding or over-analyzing when my mind started coming up with unreasonable hypothetical scenarios about the past or future. For Epicurus, he focused on the gods, celestial phenomena, etc. , but I have found it helpful for as well for things like illness, financial problems, and social situations.
Thirdly, there’s the Epicurean emphasis on community. I’ve known people who spend so much time caught up with politics that they ignore their own problems and the problems of the people around them. Epicurus’ teachings on community help to remind me that there’s often a lot of good I can do for the people directly around me, even if it is just bringing some more pleasant memories to their life. This can be done regardless of the political situation at the time.
I agree absolutely. Simple self-awareness of pleasures enhances your well-being throughout the day and makes you more resilient. And focusing on your life and not the political situation around you is even more valuable in this time of mass media. Another aspect that attracted me to Epicureanism was its emphasis on simplicity. I realized I was already living an Epicurean lifestyle before I even knew the term.
Yeah, I think there is a lot to be mined from Epicurean philosophy (and other schools) for CBT and other mental health treatment.
I do CBT and wrote the following article you may be interested in about a tool from Epicureanism that I adapted for clinical use: https://vacounseling.com/epicureanism-cbt-method-of-multiple-explanations/
Thanks, John! This is fascinating reading and I’ll share with my subscribers.
Thanks for mentioning this. It’s something I’ve found really helpful about Epicureanism too.