Emily Austin - "Living For Pleasure - An Epicurean Guide To Life" - Lucretius Today Interview 2023

In this interview the LucretiusToday podcasting team interviews Dr. Emily Austin, author of the book "Living For Pleasure - An Epicurean Guide To Life." For more details go to https://LucretiusToday.com or to https://EpicureanFriends.comShow more

For full details see the timestamped question list below and find the episode show notes by visiting EpicureanFriends.com.

00:51 - Introduction of Dr. Austin.
02:05 - Dr. Austin, tell us about yourself.
03:17 - What got you interested in Epicurus and how did you come to write this book?
06:15 - It's clear that you enjoyed writing your book. Was there any particular reason for that?
08:50 - What are the major aspects of Epicurean philosophy, and what distinguishes it from Stoicism?
18:30 - How do you deal with the objection that "pleasure" cannot be the goal of life?
27:15 - What is the role of a proper perspective on "death" in Epicurean philosophy?
38:50 - Some people see a tension between pursuit of pleasure as opposed to pursuit of tranquility. How do you reconcile that question and summarize the issue of how much pleasure is enough? Was Epicurus an ascetic?
45:00 - Are some pleasures "ok" and some not? What is the difference between the Epicurean and Stoic perspectives on "virtue?"
48:50 - What do you see as the role of physics and natural science in understanding and applying the full the Epicurean world view?
50:30 - Are modern Stoics actually Epicureans? (continuation of answer to the previous question)
56:40 - To what extent can an ancient philosophy like Epicureanism be translated into the modern world?
1:04:02 - Can you use basic Epicurean principles that are clear to fill in gaps where texts are lost or positions are unclear?
1:07:34 - How how confident can we be in interpreting Epicurus when there are varying translations of the same texts? Are the Vatican Sayings reliably Epicurean?
1:10:38 - Does someone need to be interested in science in order to appreciate Epicurus?
1:14:21 - Is there an Epicurean equivalent to a "Meditations"-style list of practical suggestions on how to live? Is that what you attempted to provide in the final chapter of your book?
1:21:26 - What do you think Lucretius had in mind for the closing section of his poem?
1:26:45 - Closing

Welcome to a special two-part Episode of Lucretius Today. This is a podcast dedicated to the poet Lucretius, who wrote "On The Nature of Things," the only complete presentation of Epicurean philosophy left to us from the ancient world. Each week we walk you through the Epicurean texts, and we discuss how Epicurean philosophy can apply to you today. If you too find the Epicurean worldview attractive, we invite you to join us in the study of Epicurus at EpicureanFriends.com, where you will find a discussion thread for each of our podcast episodes and many other topics.

Today we are very pleased to bring you an interview with a special guest: Dr. Emily Austin, professor of Philosophy at Wake Forest University. Dr. Austin is author of the book "Living for Pleasure: an Epicurean Guide to Life," which was published in November 2022 by the Oxford University Press as part of its Guides to the Good Life Series. Dr. Austin graduated summa cum laude in philosophy from Hendrix College in Arkansas, and she received her doctorate from Washington University in St. Louis in 2009. Since that time, she has been teaching philosophy at Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Dr. Austin's book has been getting great reviews, in large part due to her combination of philosophical detail with a friendly and engaging approach. Dr. Austin applies both her academic credentials and her teaching skills to the task of showing how Epicurean philosophy differs sharply from Stoicism, and how it stands for a truly positive approach to life that isn't grounded in asceticism, but in a complete understanding of the central and uncompromising appreciation of "Pleasure" in the pursuit of happiness.

We thank Dr. Austin for her time. If you would like to learn more about the topics discussed in this episode, please join us at EpicureanFriends.com in our study and pursuit of the philosophy of Epicurus.