Thanks to foodies, Epicureanism has been having a moment. We’ve got the Food Network, endless new restaurants serving up every flavor of hipster food, thoughtful reflection upon food, and a resurgence of everything from retro diners to creative new options for the wealthy elite.
It’s a great time to love food! And many of those who talk about food do so in terms of gustatory pleasure.
Thus enters the philosophy of Epicurus and Epicureanism.
Epicureanism
The foodies love Epicurus due to his ethical views about pleasure. In short, Epicurus held that pleasure is the only intrinsic good, meaning that it’s the only thing good in itself rather than good only for the other benefits it brings. Unlike, say, medicine, which is good only because it treats illness, pleasure is good in its own right.
Since food brings pleasure to people, well…there you go.
But that’s not really how Epicureanism works. Epicureans certainly claim that pleasure is the only intrinsic good. But Epicurus didn’t mean just any pleasure at any time. He had thoughts about the best kinds of pleasures.
First, Epicureans think about pleasure in the context of an entire life. It’s not just about getting the next pleasure fix. The Epicurean does not pursue endless short-term drunkenness, sex, drugs, or, yes, even food. Why? Those things, pursued exclusively or to excess, won’t bring us pleasure over time.
Second, Epicureans rank as the best pleasures the avoidance of pain and mental anguish. The most pleasurable life is one where we live a pleasant life fulfilling quite modest desires. We should avoid excesses of food, wealth, fame, and most luxuries. In short, we should avoid anything that leads to pain, envy, or stress and anguish.
Epicureans and Public Office
This takes us to the topic of Epicureanism and public office. And you might see where this is going. Epicureans advise that we avoid serving in public office!
Years ago, back at the very beginnings of this blog, I wrote a summary of why people shouldn’t run for office. Many of the reasons I gave – but especially reasons 3-5 – are the same sorts of reasons Epicurus would give. In short, politics involves lots of stress and drama. It’s one thing to study politics, write about it, and strategize on it. But it’s quite another to actually be a politician!
Running for office usually amounts to a bad way to avoid pain and mental anguish.
But like a good Epicurean, I’d tell you to keep the big picture in mind. If a leftist movement built a clear, workable strategy to get things done, running for office might be worth it. However, one should set the bar high to overcome the pain and anguish involved in electoral politics. And so, I remain fairly unlikely to seek any office higher than chair of the city housing commission.
