EPICURUS. 189 



Epicurus, perhaps more than any other philosopher, to be misre- 

 presented and maligned, we will leave him, as far as possible, to speak 

 for himself, only giving such hints as to put the reader in the point 

 of view necessary for seeing the drift of the argument. 



We shall not stop to point out the errors and deficiencies of the 

 system even though that were necessary. Our business is not to 

 criticise the Epicurean philosophy, but to give our readers an idea of Object of 

 what it was ; and for this purpose they are not to be put into a ScT." 8 

 hostile attitude, but rather led to look at it, for a time, with Epicurus's 

 eyes. The worthlessness of most of the physical speculations, as 

 regards positive science, will be readily enough apparent; and an 

 appreciation of the moral doctrines will be found in another volume 

 of this series. 1 



Are we to look upon Epicurus as a natural, or as a moral philo- is Epicurus 

 sopher ? Judging by the comparative space that these two kinds of orTmoial 

 speculation severally occupy in Epicurus's own epitome, one would philosopher ? 

 suppose that he held physical science to be more important than 

 ethical. And we are still more liable to form this impression from a 

 cursory reading of Lucretius's poetical version of the Epicurean 

 philosophy ; for to expound the nature and causes of physical and 

 psychological phenomena seems the grand aim of that work, and 

 moral reflections appear to be only incidental. It is really, however, 

 the very reverse. The end of all philosophy, according to Epicurus, 

 is to teach men how to live happily. If he appears chiefly occupied 

 in speculating on the material world, it is because he looks upon a 

 knowledge of that as the chief road to happiness ; and all philosophy 

 that does not seem to him to bear upon a happy life, he holds in the 

 utmost contempt. 



We shall fail, however, to appreciate rightly the Epicurean system Epicurus's 

 of natural philosophy, unless we bear in mind how Epicurus conceived ^^ f the 

 physical science to affect human happiness. We seek for knowledge physical 

 because it is power ; we explore the laws of nature, that we may sc 

 control the material world, and thus avert physical evils, and extract 

 for ourselves the means of enjoyment. This view of the end of 

 physical inquiry had hardly been distinctly conceived in ancient times 

 by any school of philosophers ; in fact there was, as yet, scarcely any 

 science of a nature sufficiently positive and exact to be turned to 

 practical account. At all events this was not Epicurus's view of the 

 use of natural philosophy. According to him, the great evil that 

 afflicted men the incubus on human happiness was fear ; fear of 

 the gods, and fear of death. To get rid of these two fears and thus 

 secure the negative, and, in his view, the chief condition of happiness, 

 was the ultimate aim of all Epicurus's speculations on nature. This 

 he prided himself on having effected ; and his disciple, Lucretius, 

 points to this service as his chief claim to our gratitude and admira- 

 tion : 



1 Vol. X. Maurice's ' Moral and Metaphysical Philosophy.' 



