Finding Tranquility, Reason, and Wisdom Across the Ages
Epicurus, the ancient Greek philosopher, proposed a revolutionary idea: the goal of life is a tranquil happiness, free from pain and mental disturbance (ataraxia). He argued this state is best achieved not through wild excess, but through moderation, friendship, and understanding the natural world. His surviving works, like the Letter to Menoeceus and the Principal Doctrines, offer a timeless blueprint for a contented life.
If you appreciate Epicurus's focus on reason, tranquility, and practical wisdom, this curated list will guide you to other thinkers who share his spirit. The recommendations are organized by their relationship to Epicurean thought.
These writers were direct followers or admirers who worked to preserve and spread the teachings of Epicurus in the Roman world.
Arguably the most important Epicurean author after the founder himself, Lucretius was a Roman poet who took on the monumental task of translating Epicurus's entire philosophical system—from atomic physics to ethics—into a single, breathtaking epic poem. His work is the most complete and powerful expression of Epicureanism that survives from the ancient world.
Recommended Work: On the Nature of Things (De rerum natura). This masterpiece explains how the universe is composed of atoms in a void, argues against the fear of death and divine intervention, and champions the pursuit of a peaceful life.
A contemporary of Cicero, Philodemus was an influential Epicurean philosopher whose library was miraculously preserved in the volcanic ash that buried Herculaneum. The slow process of unrolling his carbonized scrolls has given us a direct look into the detailed philosophical debates of his time. He applied Epicurean principles to topics like art, music, and social conduct.
Recommended Work: On Death. This text offers a compassionate and reasoned Epicurean argument for why we should not fear death, closely following the logic of his master.
A wealthy Roman citizen in the 2nd century AD, Diogenes was so convinced of Epicureanism's power to bring happiness that he commissioned a massive inscription of its core tenets on a public wall in his hometown of Oenoanda (in modern-day Turkey). His goal was to share this wisdom with his fellow citizens and future generations. The surviving fragments provide a unique public testament to the philosophy.
Recommended Work: The Epicurean Inscription. This is a collection of the translated fragments from the wall, offering clear and concise summaries of Epicurean ethics and physics.
Epicurus built his materialist worldview on the foundations laid by earlier Greek thinkers who first dared to imagine a universe without gods.
Democritus was the brilliant pre-Socratic philosopher from whom Epicurus inherited the theory of atomism—the idea that the world is composed of nothing but uncuttable particles (atoms) moving in an empty void. While Epicurus adapted the theory (most famously by adding the "swerve"), Democritus laid the essential groundwork for a purely materialist and naturalist explanation of the universe.
Recommended Reading: While no complete works survive, his ideas are preserved in collections of his fragments, often titled something like The Fragments of Democritus. Reading these provides insight into the intellectual roots of Epicurean science.
These thinkers, though not formal Epicureans, independently explored similar themes of self-knowledge, tranquility, and finding joy in a simple, well-examined life. It's worth noting that while the Stoics (like Seneca and Marcus Aurelius) were the main philosophical rivals of the Epicureans, they shared a similar goal of achieving inner peace, but through virtue and duty rather than pleasure and withdrawal.
The truest spiritual successor to Epicurus, this French Renaissance philosopher embraced the goal of living wisely and tranquilly. His writing is personal, skeptical of grand certainties, and deeply invested in understanding how to live a good human life. He values friendship, accepts the limits of our nature, and seeks a peaceful mind amidst the world's chaos.
Recommended Work: The Essays. This collection of personal reflections touches on everything from friendship and fear to pleasure and death, all with a gentle, humane wisdom that an Epicurean would deeply appreciate.
These authors helped reintroduce and adapt Epicurean thought for a modern audience, rescuing it from centuries of misrepresentation.
A 17th-century French philosopher and scientist, Gassendi was instrumental in reviving Epicurus's reputation. At a time when "Epicurean" was an insult synonymous with godless indulgence, Gassendi argued that its atomism was compatible with Christian doctrine and that its ethical system was noble and rational. He presented a researched, if sanitized, version of the philosophy that made it acceptable to the early modern world.
Recommended Reading: While his major work, Syntagma Philosophicum, is dense, his project is best understood through modern scholarly accounts of his revival of Epicureanism.
For a contemporary voice, Catherine Wilson writes with exceptional clarity about the relevance of Epicureanism today. She connects Epicurus's ancient wisdom to modern concerns, from our relationship with consumerism to our search for meaning in a secular age. Her work makes the philosophy accessible without sacrificing intellectual rigor.
Recommended Work: How to Be an Epicurean: The Ancient Art of Living Well. This book is a superb modern introduction, guiding the reader through the core tenets of the philosophy and showing how they can be practically applied to live a happier, more serene life today.
From the poetic materialism of Lucretius to the humane skepticism of Montaigne, the Epicurean spirit endures. Its call to savor simple pleasures, cherish friendship, and face reality without fear remains a powerful and reassuring guide to living well in any age.