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Instant Karma's Interests
General
Which Hellenistic School of Philosophy Would You Belong To?
You are an Epicurean. Epicureanism is a system of philosophy based upon the teachings of Epicurus (c340-c270 BC), founded around 307 BC. Epicurus was an atomic materialist, following in the steps of Democritus. His materialism led him to a general attack on superstition and divine intervention. Following Aristippus, about whom we know very little, Epicurus believed that the greatest good was to seek modest pleasures such as tranquility and freedom from fear through knowledge. Although some equate Epicureanism with hedonism or a form of it (as "hedonism" is commonly understood), professional philosophers of Epicureanism deny that. For Epicurus, the highest pleasure (tranquility and freedom from fear) was obtained by knowledge, friendship, and living a virtuous and temperate life. He lauded the enjoyment of simple pleasures, by which he meant abstaining from bodily desires, such as sex and appetites, verging on asceticism. He argued that when eating, one should not eat too richly, for it could lead to dissatisfaction later, such as the grim realization that one could not afford such delicacies in the future. Likewise, sex could lead to increased lust and dissatisfaction with the sexual partner. Epicurus did not articulate a broad system of social ethics that has survived. Some writings by Epicurus have survived. In addition, many scholars consider the epic poem "On the Nature of Things" by Lucretius to present in one unified work the core arguments and theories in Epicurus' writings. Epicurean materialism is presented very simply, but anticipates a great deal of later scientific discovery in important respects. Dalton's atomic theory and Darwin's theory of evolution can both be seen in Epicurean writings. Epicureanism emphasizes the neutrality of gods on earth and that they do not interfere with the world we live in. It also states that gods, matter and souls are all made from the same thing (atoms). Souls are made from atoms, and gods possess souls, but their souls adhere to the bodies without escaping. In the case of humans we do have the same kind of souls, but the forces between our atoms do not possess the fortitude to hold the soul forever. The Epicureans also used the atomist theories of Democritus and Leucippus to describe that man has free will. They held that all thoughts are merely atoms swerving randomly. This explanation was used to relieve the ever-curious minds of people who wondered anxiously about their role in the universe. Some would interpret this doctrine of the gods as really a disguised atheism. Fully aware of the fate of Socrates when brought up on a charge of impiety, Epicurus avoided expressing an overt atheism. Instead, he reduced the gods to mere physical beings, shut them up in a distant part of the cosmos, without a thought or care for what happens to mankind. This renders his philosophy atheistic on the practical level, but avoids the charge of atheism on the theoretical level. Epicureanism is probably the first philosophical school which introduced the social contract, in that the laws established by this school of thought are based on mutual agreement, not divine decree. Epicurus' school, called "The Garden," seems to have been a moderately ascetic community which rejected the political limelight of Athenian philosophy. They were fairly cosmopolitan by Athenian standards, including women and slaves, and were probably vegetarians. Epicureanism was originally a challenge to Platonism, though later it became the main opponent of Stoicism. Epicurus and his followers shunned politics and as such it was never a major philosophy. After the death of Epicurus "The Garden" was headed by Metrodorus who was then succeded by Polyaenus. During the later Roman era, Lucretius was its main proponent. It had all but died out by the end of the Roman Empire, and was again resurrected by the atomist Pierre Gassendi during the Enlightenment. Thomas Jefferson refered to himself as an Epicurean. Take this quiz!
"TV is chewing gum for the eyes."--Frank Lloyd Wright
Books
Which literature classic are you?
George Orwell: Nineteen Eighty-Four. You are the classic warning against the threat of totalitarianism. To you, politics and philosophy are inseparable, auchtorities suck and the reality might not exist outside our imaginations. Take this quiz!
Which Historical Lunatic Are You? From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.A fine, amiable and dreamy young man, skilled in horsemanship and archery, you were also from a long line of dribbling madmen. King at 12 and quickly married to your sweetheart, Bavarian Princess Isabeau, you enjoyed many happy months together before either of you could speak anything of the other's language. However, after illness you became a tad unstable. When a raving lunatic ran up to your entourage spouting an incoherent prophecy of doom, you were unsettled enough to slaughter four of your best men when a page dropped a lance. Your hair and nails fell out. At a royal masquerade, you and your courtiers dressed as wild men, ending in tragedy when four of them accidentally caught fire and burned to death. You were saved by the timely intervention of the Duchess of Berry's underskirts.
This brought on another bout of sickness, which surgeons countered by drilling holes in your skull. The following months saw you suffer an exorcism, beg your friends to kill you, go into hyperactive fits of gaiety, run through your rooms to the point of exhaustion, hide from imaginary assassins, claim your name was Georges, deny that you were King and fail to recognise your family. You smashed furniture and wet yourself at regular intervals. Passing briefly into erratic genius, you believed yourself to be made of glass and demanded iron rods in your attire to prevent you breaking.
In 1405 you stopped bathing, shaving or changing your clothes. This went on until several men were hired to blacken their faces, hide, jump out and shout "boo!", upon which you resumed basic hygiene. Despite this, your wife continued sleeping with you until 1407, when she hired a young beauty, Odette de Champdivers, to take her place. Isabeau then consoled herself, as it were, with your brother. Her lovers followed thick and fast while you became a pawn of your court, until you had her latest beau strangled and drowned.
A severe fever was fended off with oranges and pomegranates in vast quantities, but you succumbed again in 1422 and died. Your disease was most likely hereditary. Unfortunately, you had anywhere up to eleven children, who variously went on to develop capriciousness, great cruelty, insecurity, paranoia, revulsion towards food and, in one case, a phobia of bridges.
Who I'd like to meet: A translator of all ancient and modern tongues who also happens to hold the keys to a functioning time machine.
Oh, and Jerry Springer. (I need the finder's fee for introducing him to a family I know. Hmmm. Come to think of it, they might be too much even for him. There's the brother, a verbally abusive, drunken cokehead who stole his niece's inheritance and kept his sick father locked up in a room; there's the sister, a verbally abusive, knife-pulling, drunken poseur who steals everything from books to Christmas wreaths to gift-cards and then accuses the rightful owners of theft when they take them back; and there's the drug-retarded, illiterate, verbally and physically abusive niece [and self-proclaimed thief] who dropped out of school [as a 17-year-old with an 8th-grade education] after throwing a temper tantrum under a desk because they wouldn't let her eat during detention, and who's never held a job for more than a month but now claims to be a "career counselor and student success advisor" at a community college--even though she can't spell any of it.)
That's right. Poor and lower-middle class whites relate the common man president. Apparently, the common man has been redefined as a Connecticut-born, Yale-educated, third-generation politician with more connections than God and a giant ranch in Texas.
But he wears a cowboy hat, so he must feel my plight!
Dern it, girl, I saw Nileesh last weekend. I wish you had come out, we had fun. I'd buy ya some beer! Next time you better come. No excuses... if I can get my tired old momma ass out, surely you can. LOL
