Epicuruss Argument That We Are Not Harmed by Our Own Death - Essay Example

Epicurus’s argument Introduction Even after millions of years from evolution, we are still unable to unveil the mysteries surrounding life and death.Nobody knows from where we come and where we go after death. Science and technology has developed a lot and we are able to explore even outer universe at present. Man already landed on moon and most probably, man will land on mars also in near future itself. Explorations in outer spaces are going on and many of the myths associated with this universe have been cleared out because of the efforts of science and technology. Amidst all these huge achievements, life before birth and after death remains still as a mystery. Majority of the people approaches their end of life situations with lot of concerns and discomfort because of the uncertainty about the life after death. At the same time many others accept death with pleasure and dignity. Epicurus was ancient Greek philosopher who argued that the worries about death are meaningless. In his opinion, since as long as we exist, death is not with us, but when death comes, then we do not exist". This paper critically analyses the arguments of Epicurus with respect to life, death, pleasure pain etc. Epicurus’s argument “Death does not concern us, because as long as we exist, death is not here. And when it does come, we no longer exist” (Epicurus quotes, n. d). The above argument seems to be logical when we analyse it in a layman’s point of view. In other words, there is no point in worrying about something which may happen in future. Human lives in present and therefore past and future may not be significant in his life. What happened in the past and what is going to happen in future are unimportant when we consider what is taking place at present. Moreover it is unwise to sacrifice the pleasure in present life for attaining future glory or happiness. At the same time, when we analyse Epicurus’s argument in depth, we may face many other questions. We have to answer the mind-body problem clearly before supporting or opposing Epicurus’s argument. It is a fact that human body is driven by a force or energy called mind or soul. Even science has no doubt about the existence of mind or soul in the body of human. Science already proved that in order to perform certain works, force or energy is required. In other words, in order to make the human body functional, mind or soul in necessary. In other words, mind or soul is the driving force of human body which is an accepted scientific fact. If that is correct, the question of what happens to mind or soul after death is definitely a logical question. As per the scientific principles, energy cannot be destroyed, but it can be transformed from one form to another. For example, electrical energy is converted to mechanical energy when an electric fan operates. Since mind or soul is an invisible energy, it is impossible for us to know what happens to this energy form after the death of a human body. If energy cannot be destroyed, then soul also cannot be destroyed. In that sense, what happens to soul after death is definitely a matter of concern for us. In other words, unless and until we unveil the mysteries about the mind-body problem, we cannot avoid the concerns about the life after death. Epicurus expressed many opinions about pleasure and pain also. “The greater the difficulty, the more the glory in surmounting it” (Epicurus quotes, n. d). In other words, there are no gains without pains. It is fact that people feel more happiness when they earn something through hard work. It is easy for a person to become a politician. But it is difficult for an ordinary politician to become the president of the country. Only through hard work he may become the president of his country. It should be noted that no other presidents earned the same popularity as did by Abraham Lincoln in the history of American presidents. This is because of the fact that Abraham Lincoln became the president of America only through hard work. In short, pain in life should be treated as the symbol of better things coming in future. “You dont develop courage by being happy in your relationships every day. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity”(Epicurus quotes, n. d). Practice makes a man perfect. A person brought up in a rich family environment may struggle to adjust when bitter life experiences or financial problems occur in future whereas a person brought up in a pathetic environment may develop more happiness while he receives fortunes in future. Life is a mixture of good and bad experiences. Nobody can think about a life filled with full of happiness or sorrow. In fact the beauty of the life remains in the mixed experiences. “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for”(Epicurus quotes, n. d). Desire is the cause of mystery according to the teaching of Buddha. Epicurus seems to be in perfect agreement with Buddha’s opinion. One of the major characteristics of human life is the thirst for achievement. A person who possesses 1000 dollars may compare his status with a person who possesses 10000 dollars. Even if gets 10000 dollars, he need not be satisfied. He will then look for making 100000 dollars. In other words, a person’s wishes or desires are infinite. It is difficult for a person to earn happiness if he revises his targets again and again. “Of all the things which wisdom provides to make life entirely happy, much the greatest is the possession of friendship” (Epicurus quotes n. d). According to Epicurus, both wisdom and friendship are the major pillars of a healthy life. In his opinion, friendship is more important than wisdom. In other words, even an idiot can survive in this world if he has better friends. On the other hand, even a wise man cannot survive in this world if he doesn’t have enough good friends. Man is a social animal and the success of his social life depends on his ability to make good friendship with others. Conclusions Epicurus’s argument about life and death seems to be partly right and partly wrong when we analyse life in depth. Staying away from worrying about the life after death will definitely provide pleasure to the present life. However, the question of what happens to our soul after death is definitely a matter of concern since nobody has given any answers to it yet, except the religions. References Epicurus quotes (n. d). [Online] Available at: http://thinkexist.com/quotes/epicurus/ [Accessed on 23 October 2011] Read More