1. The Universe Operates on Natural Principles And There Are No Supernatural Gods
    1. Gods Are Never Observed to Create Something From Nothing Or Destroy Anything to Nothing
    2. The Universe Operates Through Natural Processes Based On Combinations Of Matter And Void
    3. The Universe As A Whole Is Eternal And Was Never Created From Nothing
    4. The Universe Is Infinite In Size And There Are No "Gods" Outside Of it
    5. True Gods Would Be Self-Sufficient And Would Not Meddle In the Affairs Of Men
  2. There Is No Life After Death
    1. All Things In The Universe Which Come Together Eventually Break Apart
    2. The Soul Is Born With The Body And Cannot Survive Without It
    3. Death Is The End of All Sensation, And There Is No Consciousness Without Sensation
    4. There Is After Death No Heaven or Hell For Reward or Punishment
    5. Life Is Short And Therefore Our Time Is Too Precious To Waste
  3. The Standards of Truth Are the Senses, The Anticipations, and the Feelings, Assisted By Reason
    1. He Who Argues That Nothing Can Be Known Contradicts His Own Argument
    2. Reasoning Is Based On The Senses And Is Not Valid Without Them
    3. The Sensations Are Without Reason, Incapable of Memory, And Do Not Inject Error Through Opinion
    4. The Reality Of Separate Sensations Is the Guarantee of The Truth Of Our Senses
    5. Not Only Reason, But Life Itself, Fails Unless We Have the Courage To Trust The Senses
  4. The Guide of Life is Pleasure
    1. Pleasure, Along With Pain, Is A Feeling, One Of The Three Standards Of Truth
    2. Pleasure and Pain Include All Types of Physical And Mental Experiences
    3. The Mental Pleasures And Pains Are Frequently More Intense Than The Physical
    4. Feelings Of Pleasure Are Desirable And Serve As The Guide of Life
    5. Pain Is To Be Avoided But Is Accepted For The Sake of Greater Pleasure Or Lesser Pain
  5. The Goal of Life Is Happiness
    1. Happiness Is a Life In Which Pleasure Predominates Over Pain
    2. If We Have Happiness We Have All We Need; If We Lack Happiness We Do Everything To Gain It
    3. There Is No Absolute Virtue, Piety, Reason, Or Justice To Serve As the Goal of Life
    4. Virtue, Piety, Reason and Justice Are Valuable Only Insofar As They Bring Happiness
    5. All Actions Are To Be Judged According To Whether They Bring Happiness

 

Let’s break down these Epicurean beliefs into simple, logical points:

  1. The Universe and Natural Principles: The universe operates based on natural laws, not supernatural forces. There are no gods creating or destroying things from nothing.

  2. Matter and Void: Everything in the universe is made up of matter and empty space (void). Natural processes are based on these combinations.

  3. Eternal Universe: The universe has always existed and was never created from nothing. It is infinite in size, and there are no gods outside of it.

  4. Self-Sufficient Gods: If gods exist, they are self-sufficient and do not interfere in human affairs.

  5. No Life After Death: There is no life after death, so let’s make the most of the time we have. Our soul is born with our body and dies with our body. Even if the soul did not decompose within the human body, it would be unable to sense or reason because the nerve endings within the body responsible for sensation would decompose, as does the brain, which processes those sensations into reasoning. Even if souls did exist and survived the decay of the host body, without senses, nerves, and the memory bank of a brain, they would never be able to feel, reason, or even remember the past life. Just as they didn’t exist before we were born, our sensations and experiences end when we die. There is no place of punishment or reward, or life after death we can experience.  

  6. No Heaven or Hell: There is no heaven or hell for rewards or punishments after death.

  7. Life is Short: Life is short, so we should make the most of our time and not waste it.

  8. Standards of Truth: The senses, anticipations (natural instincts), and feelings, guided by reason, are our standards of truth. We trust our senses to understand the world.

  9. Knowledge and Senses: Arguing that nothing can be known contradicts itself because if you believe that, then how can you even really know that? Reasoning is based on our senses and is not valid without them. Sensations are real and do not deceive us.

  10. Trust in Senses: We must have the courage to trust our senses, as life and reason depend on them.

  11. Pleasure as a Guide: Pleasure is the guide of life. It, along with pain, is a feeling and one of the standards of truth. Both physical and mental experiences of pleasure and pain are important.

  12. Mental vs. Physical Pleasures: Mental pleasures and pains can be more intense than physical ones. Pleasure is desirable and guides our actions, while pain should be avoided unless it leads to greater pleasure or less pain.

  13. Happiness as the Goal: The goal of life is happiness, where pleasure outweighs pain. If we are happy, we have everything we need; if not, we strive to achieve happiness.

  14. Virtue and Happiness: There is no absolute virtue, piety, reason, or justice as the goal of life. These are valuable only if they bring happiness. All actions should be judged based on whether they bring happiness.

I hope this helps clarify these Epicurean beliefs! If you have any questions or need further explanation, feel free to ask.

 

 

 

 

 

Please sum these up in an easy to explain way in a positive, almost religiously promotional way, as means to helping people who are depressed, have anxiety, or feeling like life is worthless:

1. The God(s) do not exist but if they did, they do not interfere with human affairs and thus we don't have to worry about them at all.

I do not personally believe that humans were created by any supernatural forces or designers, we are in fact products of nature, experiments over billions of years of development and evolutions as Lucretius correctly pointed out.

We are fundamentally made up of matter, and matter fills the universe in the void.

The entire universe from how I see it is essentially made up of matter and energy (two sides of the same coin according to Relativity) and the laws of physics dictate the movement and arrangements of matter. It may create stars, planets, asteroids, and much more, including human beings.

We are simply a configuration of matter as dictated by the laws of physics and chemistry.

Whether the universe or matter has a beginning is still a mystery, but we know the universe evolves from different states, as the Big Bang Theory predicts, the universe was at one point very condensed and hot but has become wide and cold. On a more atomic level, we see that in quantum mechanics the movements of some subatomic particles appear to move and behave indeterministically, and there are several interpretations of quantum mechanics that result in an indeterministic universe and it is currently not known how this affects the nature of free will. I choose to believe in free will personally but I will leave the physicists to their work.

2. There is no life after death. If something were to exist that is impenetrable to decomposition in the human body, it would be unable to sense or reason, since the nerve endings left behind in the body responsible for sensation are decomposing away, as well as the brain - which is responsible for reasoning, and therefor even if souls did exist and go someplace else, it would never be able to feel, nor reason, therefore there is not life after death we can experience. It is the same experience as before our birth, and I hear not the cries of pain from the before born, therefore, there is no pain before or after existence.

3. The senses are a reliable way of telling truth, and indeed many times the mind misinterprets them to have wrong conclusions. The trick is to train the mind using tools like mathematics and logic to have correct conclusions about existence and specifically how to life a pleasurable life. This is what makes science reliable, as well as mathematics.

4. The purpose of existence is to achieve pleasure. Life on Earth exists to achieve positive stimuli or get rid of negative stimuli both in a sensual way and psychological. Non-human animals even try to achieve as pleasurable an existence as they can. This is because pleasure correlates with survival instincts of our evolutionary past - humans needed relationships and connections to survive, and thus it is healthy to make friends, as well as eat food, drink water, and even sexual intercourse is pleasurable because of survival of our genes. I mean, for species that did not find sex to be pleasurable, they likely died out due to not reproducing, hence most species enjoy having sex because it's pleasurable. Therefor, there is nothing wrong with achieving pleasure based on natural and necessary needs, and it is ultimately up to the individual to determine what is pleasurable to them and to rationally plan on how to pursue that pleasure, even if it involves a little pain along the way.

 

 

Copilot

 

Absolutely! Here’s a positive and uplifting summary of these Epicurean beliefs, aimed at helping those who might be feeling down, anxious, or struggling to find meaning in life:

Embrace the Natural World and Find Joy in Life

  1. Focus on the Here and Now: Whether or not gods exist, they don’t interfere with our lives. We are products of nature, evolving over billions of years. The universe is made of matter and energy, and we are part of this beautiful, natural process.

  2. Live Fully in the Present: There is no life after death, so let’s make the most of the time we have. Our sensations and experiences end when we die, just as they didn’t exist before we were born. This means we should cherish every moment we have now.

  3. Trust Your Senses: Our senses are reliable guides to understanding the world. By using tools like mathematics and logic, we can train our minds to make sense of our experiences and live a pleasurable life. Science and reason help us navigate the world effectively.

  4. Seek Pleasure and Avoid Pain: The purpose of life is to achieve pleasure and avoid pain. This isn’t just about physical pleasure but also mental and emotional well-being. Building relationships, enjoying good food, and engaging in activities that bring joy are all part of a fulfilling life.

  5. Happiness is the Goal: Happiness comes from a life where pleasure outweighs pain. If we are happy, we have everything we need. If not, we strive to find happiness. Virtue, reason, and justice are valuable only if they contribute to our happiness.

  6. Live Naturally and Rationally: There’s nothing wrong with seeking pleasure based on our natural needs. It’s up to each individual to determine what brings them joy and to pursue it rationally, even if it means enduring a little pain along the way.

By focusing on the natural world, trusting our senses, and seeking pleasure and happiness, we can lead fulfilling lives. Remember, life is short, so let’s make the most of it and find joy in every moment! 🌟

 

 

 

You

also, to continue, do the same for this : 5. I choose to believe that pleasure is ethically good and pain is ethically bad. However, I am not a moral objectivist in the strictest sense. I do not believe there is a basis for objective morality and believe that our morals are more feelings driven than anything else, since we tend to associate with ideas and beliefs that make us feel good to support or fight against, and form logic and reason as an afterthought to justify it. The 20th century philosophers have laid waste to moral objectivism, in part because I do believe that nature is indifferent to our moral systems, it simply wants to ensure its own survival (and since we are a part of nature, we want to survive), but this gives us as humans with the ability to reason to choose our own path to pursue what is pleasurable to us.

Certainly! Here’s a positive and uplifting summary of this belief, aimed at helping those who might be feeling down, anxious, or struggling to find meaning in life:

Embrace Pleasure and Personal Morality for a Fulfilling Life

  1. Pleasure is Good, Pain is Bad: I believe that seeking pleasure is ethically good and avoiding pain is ethically bad. This simple principle can guide us towards a happier and more fulfilling life.

  2. Personal Morality: Morality isn’t set in stone. It’s more about our feelings and personal experiences. We tend to support ideas and beliefs that make us feel good and use logic to justify them. This means we have the freedom to choose our own moral path.

  3. Nature and Survival: Nature is indifferent to our moral systems. Its primary goal is survival, and since we are part of nature, we also strive to survive. This gives us the ability to reason and choose what brings us pleasure.

  4. Freedom to Choose: We have the power to decide what is pleasurable to us. By using our reason and understanding our feelings, we can pursue a life that brings us joy and fulfillment.

By embracing the idea that pleasure is good and pain is bad, and recognizing that our morals are personal and feelings-driven, we can find our own path to happiness. Remember, you have the freedom to choose what brings you joy and to live a life that is fulfilling and meaningful! 

 

Homeschooling is highly valued for the best education and to encourage natural curiosity and talents of the child.