Principal Doctrines

by Epicurus (Ἐπίκουρος)

translated by Peter Saint-Andre

Translator's Notes

[0] The Greek text used here generally follows that of G. Arrighetti as published in Epicuro Opere (Torino: Giulio Einaudi Editore, 1960), with some attention paid to the text published in Volume 2 of The Hellenistic Philosophers by A.A. Long and D.N. Sedley (Cambridge University Press, 1987). Thanks to Dave Jilk for his comments on the translation. [back]

[1] The phrase "that which is completely happy and indestructible" is a roundabout way of referring to the gods (though see paragraph 27, where the same underlying concept is referenced in relation to human life). The Greek word μάκαρ, translated here as "completely happy", could also be translated as "blessed" or "blissful". (This paragraph is the same as Vatican Sayings #1.) [back]

[2] The phrase "what has disintegrated" is a reference to the body. (This paragraph is the same as Vatican Sayings #2.) [back]

[3] The word ἡδονή is often translated solely as "pleasure"; however, I also translate it as "delight", "joy", or "enjoyment" because the Greek word ἡδονή refers to any physical, emotional, or mental state that is filled with sweetness (ἡδύς), whereas the English word "pleasure" carries stronger connotations of a purely physical state (although compare phrases such as "the pleasures of philosophy"). Furthermore, although there is no hard and fast distinction between ἄλγος as bodily pain and λυπούμενος as mental distress, the former word tends to be used more in relation to the body and the latter more in relation to the mind or emotions; see also paragraph 10. [back]

[4] (This paragraph is the same as Vatican Sayings #3.) [back]

[5] The word φρονίμως, translated here as "wisely", derives from the word for practical wisdom; although it is often translated as "prudently", the latter term is no longer commonly used in current English and to the modern ear sounds positively Victorian, which is why I have opted to translate φρονίμως as "wisely". The word καλῶς, translated here as "beautifully", has many meanings, including "nobly" and "honorably"; however, the root meaning of καλός is "beauty" in either the aesthetic or the ethical sense. On the word δικαίως as "rightly" instead of "justly", see the note to paragraph 17. (This paragraph is the same as Vatican Sayings #5.) [back]

[6] The phrase "taking courage" translates the verb θαρρεῖν, which is derived from the word for courage, daring, boldness, or confidence. The basic Epicurean sense I find in this paragraph is "if you were the king or a leader of men, you would take courage from the support of the men under your command (at least to the extent that they are the sort of men who can give you courage), and taking courage in that way would be a natural good for you -- but for the rest of us, we must take courage not from our followers but from ourselves and from our friends." [back]

[8] (This paragraph is the same as Vatican Sayings #50.) [back]

[11] The word φυσιολογία, translated here as "science", more particularly refers to natural science (which nowadays is the only kind of science). [back]

[12] (This paragraph is the same as Vatican Sayings #49.) [back]

[13] (This paragraph is the same as Vatican Sayings #72.) [back]

[14] The word ἡσυχία, translated here as "solitude", can also mean "quietude" or "stillness" (translations that would also be quite consistent with the philosophy of Epicurus). The phrase "breaking away from the herd" is my attempt to render the Greek phrase ἐκχωρήσεως τῶν πολλῶν, which means literally "departing from the many" (οἱ πολλοί are "the masses" -- a phrase so useful it has been transliterated directly in English as "hoi polloi"). Note also that although the received text reads ἐκχωρήσεως ("departing"), the Greek word ἐκχορήσεως means "stepping out from the chorus" and thus draws a vivid contrast between the vibrant leading characters and the stolid mass of citizens in ancient Greek tragedies; scribal error could account for a change from omicron to omega here, especially because ἐκχορήσεως is much less common than ἐκχωρήσεως. [back]

[15] (This paragraph is the same as Vatican Sayings #8.) [back]

[17] I have expanded the translation here to capture several meanings of the key terms: ἀταρακτότατος means "utterly without disturbance" and by extension steady or serene, whereas πλείστης ταραχῆς means full of trouble, disorder, or tumult (expanded here to "full of trouble and confusion"; see also paragraph 22 and the note thereto). The words ὁ δίκαιος and ὁ ἄδικος are often translated "the just man" and "the unjust man", but the modern concept of justice is almost purely social whereas the Greek word δίκαιος has a wider range of meaning that encompasses what is right, fitting, balanced, ordered, decent, civilized, etc.; I have attempted to capture this ambiguity through the phrases "one who acts aright" and "one who goes astray". (This paragraph is the same as Vatican Sayings #12.) [back]

[19] (This paragraph is the same as Vatican Sayings #22.) [back]

[21] The word ἀγών, translated here as "struggle", originally referred to the contests pursued by athletes at public festivals such as the Olympic games; Epicurus is not necessarily counselling against personal discipline (such as that involved in learning true philosophy), but against the trials and dangers of action in the public arena. [back]

[22] Here the translated phrase "trouble and confusion" reflects the Greek words ἀκρισία (literally "indistinctness") and ταραχή (literally "trouble", "disorder", or "tumult"); see also paragraph 17 and the note thereto. [back]

[27] The concept of μακαρία, translated here as "complete happiness", is also referenced in paragraph 1 when Epicurus speaks of the gods. (This paragraph is the same as Vatican Sayings #13.) [back]

[29] (This paragraph is the same as Vatican Sayings #20.) [back]

[31] The word σύμβολον refers to a covenant, contract, or other mutual agreement, especially in a legal sense a treaty between two city-states to safeguard trading between them. The verb βλάπτω means to hurt or damage someone or something, but not in a way that reflects willful injustice or wrongdoing (for which the verb ἀδικέω is used). [back]

[33] The word συνθήκη, translated here as "compact", is essentially the same as the word σύμβολον from paragraph 31. [back]

[35] (This paragraph is the same as Vatican Sayings #6.) [back]

[36] The word κοινωνία means a fellowship, an association, a partnership, a community, etc.; I have chosen to translate συμφέρον ἐν τῇ πρὸς ἀλλήλους κοινωνίᾳ as "what is mutually advantageous among companions" to emphasize the sense of a shared venture that is implicit in the Greek verb κοινωνέω. [back]

[37] The Greek phrase τιθέναι νόμον means to make legislation; here Epicurus contrasts man-made legislation with natural justice, which in somewhat old-fashioned English we might call natural law. [back]

[38] The word πρόληψις has a special meaning in the philosophy of Epicurus, and refers to the basic grasp that one has of a concept. [back]

[40] Somewhat reluctantly, I have translated the word οἰκειότης (from the Greek word for household) as "fellowship". I say reluctantly because my preferred translation is the obsolete English word "frith", which referred to the bonds of mutual loyalty and trust between family members, kinsmen, and friends, as well as the resulting feeling of mutual security (see <http://www.friggasweb.org/frith.html>). Unfortunately, the word "frith" has passed out of common usage and therefore is not appropriate for a modern translation of Epicurus (although the concept it identifies deserves to be resurrected). Other alternatives might include "intimacy", "kindliness", "friendly relations", "friendliness", "sense of community", even "sense of belonging". [back]

Publisher's Note

The translator has provided the following statement:

I, Peter Saint-Andre, made this translation of the Principal Doctrines of Epicurus from Greek into English in the year 2008. I hereby release all legal and moral rights to this work under all jurisdictions (including but not limited to the rights to copy, republish, translate, arrange, modify, and make derivative works from this work), and I grant anyone the right to use this work without conditions for any purpose. Therefore this work is free from all claims of copyright and has passed directly into the public domain.

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Last Updated: 2010-01-03