Study Questions for Epicurus

According to Epicurus:

1. Why should we believe in the existence of a void?

2. What qualities do atoms have?

3. What is the soul, and what happens to it when a person is destroyed?

4. What characteristics do the gods have? Why does a bad person have no reason to fear them?

5. Why should young people study philosophy?

6. What are the reasons for believing that “death is nothing to us”?

7. Why is it important to understand the different kinds of desires?

8. Under what circumstances do we not need pleasure?

9. If “every pleasure is a good thing,” how should we choose between pleasures?

10. What are the reasons for preferring simple pleasures to extravagant ones?

11. What does prudence teach us about the virtues?

12. Why do we need natural science?

13. What is justice?

14. Why is there no justice or injustice with respect to animals?

15. Why is injustice a bad thing?