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capri0mniMoreover, there is an infinite number of worlds, some like this world, others unlike it. For the atoms being infinite in number, as has just been proved, are borne ever further in their course.
(The Whole Letter)
The more I contemplate both quantum physics and Epicurean philosophy (usually when I wake up, for a while, as my brain switches between dream cycles in the middle of the night), the closer I come to the the conclusion that these two ways of looking at the world (or worlds) support each other – To wit:
Epicurus taught that a good life is a pleasurable life – we are driven to, above all else, avoid pain. And that’s kinda like atoms and subatomic particles always settling into the lowest energy state possible – being at rest. (See that post I made the other day)
If someone were to explain to Epicurus what we’ve since learned about atoms and the universe in millennia since he wrote this letter, he would probably say that what we now call quarks, leptons, bosons, and photons are what actually fit his definition of “atoms.”
He was wrong about the universe being infinite and eternal, without beginning or end. But then again, that was something we believed until Hubble made his observations of other galaxies, and the red shift of the expanding universe, in the 1920′s.
So… you know. Not bad for a guy extrapolating with his imagination from what he could see with his naked eye.
...It's not the same, of course, because of different cultures, histories, and religious contexts, but and from where I sit, true Epicureanism looks a lot like Buddhism -- that the greatest goal in life is to free yourself from pain, and the way you free yourself from pain is to take good care of your body, calm your mind, and free yourself from lusting after possessions and power. ... I'm low key bitter that Epicurus has had his name attached to the opposite of that.
I suspect that, in part, rival philosophical schools and religions set out to discredit Epicureans because, striving to free themselves from the fear of death, and from the desire for anything more than basic needs, they could neither be threatened nor bribed. And governments (and religions allied with governments) don't like that.
