a Hellenistic Athenian philosopher and founder of Epicureanism ( On the Nature of the Universe). Netshot: On the Nature of the Universe

Greek philosopher who believed that the world is a random combination of atoms and that pleasure is the highest good (341-270 BC).

(341-270 BC) Good is pleasure, pain is evil. Uncontrolled pursuit of pleasure results not in more pleasure but in pain. Therefore we must live austere to avoid pain. Pain, fear of death, and fear of the gods were the greatest threats to man's happiness. If the world (including man) were just chance combinations of atoms, then we would feel pain only as long as we are alive; but when we die, the atoms dispense and we cannot suffer any feelings of evil or fear. The gods are merely combinations of atoms, with no power to rule or punish men. If lightning strikes a man, it is a natural accident and not Zeus hurling a thunderbolt to punish him. These fears should not disturb a person's tranquility (i.e., religion and concepts of God arise through ignorance and fear).

(n.) -- a Greek philosopher noted for espousing intellectual and sensual freedom from gods, chance, and capricious institutions. He rejected the positive sciences as useful tools for the perfection of humans.

Philosopher, 341-270 BCE. He taught that as the universe and mankind were made by accident, a good life is one of pleasure; pleasure, however, meaning privacy and austerity, not indulgence.

Epicurus (Greek ) (341 BC, Samos – 270 BC, Athens) was an ancient Greek philosopher, the founder of Epicureanism, one of the most popular schools of thought in Hellenistic Philosophy.