Stoics, Sceptics and Epicureans

Ancient Greek Philosophy was remarkable for the creation of three main types of philosophy after Aristotle: Epicureanism, Stoicism, and Skepticism. Marx admired this trio as a highlight of Greek philosophy. Differing fundamentally from each other, Epicureanism relies on the evidence of the senses and proposes pleasure as the goal of life; Stoicism values morality as a way of attaining union with god; the Skeptics reject both. Each type of philosophy responded dynamically to the others and kept evolving by continually adapting to diverse social circumstances, both Greek and Roman. Each also had a lasting influence on the development of later European philosophy. We will trace their significance by reading texts in English translation; no Greek or Latin is required.