Or, How the philosophy of Epicureanism founded the modern world.
It is a common assumption amongst believers on this site that Christianity preceded atheism in Western culture and that modern secularism is just a curious anomaly in the long tradition of that culture. In this post I am going to argue that, on the contrary, not only did atheism precede Christianity, but that there is a direct link between the atheistic philosophy of Epicurus and the birth of modern secularism.
(The title of this post, of course, was penned by that self-confessed Epicurean, Thomas Jefferson:
Thomas Jefferson writes:
As you say of yourself, I too am an Epicurian. I consider the genuine (not the imputed) doctrines of Epicurus as containing everything rational in moral philosophy which Greece and Rome have left us.
From the Letter to William Short.)
A summary of Epicureanism
Epicurus lived between 341 and 240 BCE, about a generation after Aristotle. He was the founder of a school of philosphy that was distinguished by the following beliefs:
1. That the universe consists of atoms falling through a void, and that all things result from random swerves and collisions of those atoms;
2. That the universe was not created by the gods, and that the gods play no part in human affairs;
3. That knowledge is gained through the senses, rather than solely through the operation of reason;
4. That virtues are not an end in themselves, but are considered good because they are a means to achieving happiness or the avoidance of pain. (Epicurean ethics is a utilitarian ethics)
In these beliefs we can see the origins of three of the main features of modern secular humanism, i.e.
Empiricism,
Physical Naturalism and
Utilitarian Ethics.
Roman Epicureanism
Stoicism and Epicureanism were the two predominant philosophies in pre-Christian Rome, and one of the great works of Latin literature, Lucretius'
De Rerum Natura (On The Nature of Things), was effectively a hymn to Epicurean philosophy. After the adoption of Christianity, Epicureanism, for obvious reasons, was repressed.
Modern Epicureanism
Both Nietsche and Marx were influenced by Epicureanism, but the most interesting influence from my point of view is that on the Western liberal tradition. Consider this quote from the Wikipedia article on Epicurus:
Epicurus was one of the first thinkers to develop the notion of justice as a social contract. He defined justice as an agreement "neither to harm nor be harmed." The point of living in a society with laws and punishments is to be protected from harm so that one is free to pursue happiness. Because of this, laws that do not help contribute to promoting human happiness are not just.
This was later picked up by the democratic thinkers of the French Revolution, and others, like John Locke, who wrote that people had a right to "life, liberty, and property." To Locke, one's own body was part of their property, and thus one's right to property would theoretically guarantee safety for their persons, as well as their possessions.
This triad was carried forward into the American freedom movement and Declaration of Independence, by American founding father, Thomas Jefferson, as "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible
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