"Is God Willing to prevent evil, but not able?Then he is impotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing?
Whence then is evil?"
- Epicurus 310BCE.
Founder of Secularism.
Epicurean philosophy stated that nothing should be believed that cannot be corroborated through direct observation and logical deduction. Through this model, he was the first to start a primitive (by today's standards) egalitarian movement, as he admitted women and slaves into his School, which was held in his Garden on Samos.
Developer of the Scientific Method.
What is good is what is pleasurable, and what is bad is what is painful. This philosophy was ahead of its time as it was not hedonistic and did not centre on selfishness, it accounted for the pleasure of helping others.
Logic is nothing but a word in Greek history text books, as the nation does not embrace scientific reasoning. In 2005, a pole done by National Geographic stated only 50% of Greeks believe in evolution, 40% do not and 10% are undecided, this is no doubt due to the role religion has played in brainwashing an entire nation. For contrast, in Scandinavia some 87% of people believe in evolution.
I, and an increasing number of Greeks, advocate a return to secular traditions and secular reasoning, so the name Greek (Elliniko) is no longer disgraced by the superstition of the fallout from Byzantia.
Founder of Secularism.
Epicurus believed the natural world was all that can be known and is all that can be studied. He argued in the Epicurean Paradox (above, right of picture) that there is no god or gods that are concerned with how we live our lives and that morality is a totally secular question which can be answered via observation and logic.
His philosophy was optimistic and centred upon an understanding that one can liberate themselves from fears like death and the supernatural.Epicurus was inspired largely by Democritus, a philosopher who hypothesised that all things were made up of atoms (the word atom in Greek means indivisible). This hypothesis was largely supported by Epicurus and many of his philosophies were based upon this understanding.
His philosophy was optimistic and centred upon an understanding that one can liberate themselves from fears like death and the supernatural.Epicurus was inspired largely by Democritus, a philosopher who hypothesised that all things were made up of atoms (the word atom in Greek means indivisible). This hypothesis was largely supported by Epicurus and many of his philosophies were based upon this understanding.
Epicurean philosophy stated that nothing should be believed that cannot be corroborated through direct observation and logical deduction. Through this model, he was the first to start a primitive (by today's standards) egalitarian movement, as he admitted women and slaves into his School, which was held in his Garden on Samos.
Developer of the Scientific Method.
Epicurus, as a secularist, believed the only way to obtain insights was to follow the scientific method.
The process of observation, dissemination of evidence, formation of hypotheses and testing them to form models of understanding was pivotal to his philosophy.
The process of observation, dissemination of evidence, formation of hypotheses and testing them to form models of understanding was pivotal to his philosophy.
This method today, remains the only way to understand the universe. Religious dogma, divine vision and other supernatural occurrences have always failed double blind tests and fail to reflect the true nature of the universe, which Epicurus' model postulated.
Scepticism.
Scepticism.
Pyrrho, founder of the school of scepticism, was a major influence on Epicurus. Pyrrho's philosophy stated that doctrines are not true on their own merit and no assertion is more or less true than another assertion. Pyrrho in many ways was a secularist as he believed firmly in evidence based reasoning and did not believe private feelings and beliefs could be relied upon nor were worthy of any consideration.
Derivation of Morality.
Derivation of Morality.
Epicurus believed in the absolutes of good and bad, without the need of supernatural governance. He stated that good and bad derive from sensations of pleasure and pain.
What is good is what is pleasurable, and what is bad is what is painful. This philosophy was ahead of its time as it was not hedonistic and did not centre on selfishness, it accounted for the pleasure of helping others.
Pleasure and pain, in the Epicurean philosophy, were central to the moral distinction between good and bad.
Moderation was also central to the experience of good and bad.
Death of the Great Tradition.
Death of the Great Tradition.
Modern Greece is no doubt a shell of its great former self.It is a nation that values personal feelings above that of evidence, as has been seen in recent news events regarding gay rights in Greece. The hands of elderly bearded male virgins extends into all areas of governance and shames the great secular tradition of Greece.
Logic is nothing but a word in Greek history text books, as the nation does not embrace scientific reasoning. In 2005, a pole done by National Geographic stated only 50% of Greeks believe in evolution, 40% do not and 10% are undecided, this is no doubt due to the role religion has played in brainwashing an entire nation. For contrast, in Scandinavia some 87% of people believe in evolution.
I, and an increasing number of Greeks, advocate a return to secular traditions and secular reasoning, so the name Greek (Elliniko) is no longer disgraced by the superstition of the fallout from Byzantia.
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