| Hedonism, as an important school of thought of the late Greek philosophy,has got universal attention from philosophers through the ages from its beginning. Epicurus put forward the point of view that happiness is the highest good basing on ancient Greek philosophy ethics, and established his own philosophy system around this idea. Later in the development, the debate of hedonism connotation is uninterrupted, and philosophers from different ages have proposed their own views. Still,there are many doubts about the understanding of "Hedonism".The research on Hedonism involves wide arrange of fields,such as ethics, anthropology, literature, and history.But most discuss in those fields about Hedonism can not be independent from its historical stage, class background or cultural situation.In western philosophy, the ethics of hedonism put forward by Epicurus, is also the spiritual product of the complex social background at that time. In the letter to Folgen dicht Kay, Epicurus classified desires basing on people’s mind as natural &necessary desires, natural &unnecessary desires, and unnatural&unnecessary desires. In the same letter, he put forward the point that joy is the exemption from the pain of body and the annoyance of soul.He thought that people need to learn to satisfy their desires prudently. After meeting the natural desire,one should pursue a higher level of happiness named the spiritual happiness. But,constrained by the limitation of the times, his theory has obvious inadequacy and flaws.Throughout the hedonism of Epicurus, we can find that the happiness he pursed is based on reasons,emphasizing on the peace of mind. Therefore, his theory has important practical significance in guiding people`s life pursuit and value choice. |
