Epicurus, active during the 4th century BC, was an important ancient Greek philosopher who founded his own school of thought and spearheaded his own philosophy, now labeled under the title Epicureanism. For him, the central purpose of philosophy was to achieve pleasure and avoid fear, primarily that of the gods, death, and an unpleasant afterlife. Famous for his materialism, Epicurean advanced the idea that the only true purpose of life is to embrace all its pleasures and reject all tedium and pain. However, it was not simply a pass to engage in orgies and rampant lawlessness, but was instead a system of behavior that emphasized self-gratification wherever it could be found, and "authentic" happiness as the ultimate attainable goal for all. . Epicurus put forward the idea that perhaps the Greek gods were the fruit of human imagination; ideals not to be feared or venerated, but to be admired and emulated for having achieved one's authentic happiness through ataraxia, liberation from the lusts of the flesh, and aponia, emancipation from the chains of mental slavery that weigh us down when we try to overcome our thoughts and ideas that impede our progress towards this authentic happiness, which is not as far away as some might suppose. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay For Epicurus, happiness was indulgence, not only in basic human pleasures, such as food, sex, and other luxuries, but also in higher-order pleasures such as learning, fine arts, and relationships among many others . Believing that pleasure is the only intrinsic good available and accessible to all, it is not pleasure in the sense that modern hedonism holds it, but the "pleasant life" revolves around self-control and still distinguishes between the pleasures of the Epicurus . stated that too much of a good thing can lead to more harm than good; just as a healthy dose of abstinence to some extent can be helpful in focusing on what makes life worth living, not just mindless overindulgence in something one might find attractive. Epicurean hedonism often gets a bad rap for endorsing overindulgence and material possession over spiritual gains, but the truth is that this pre-modern hedonism did not deny any aspect of self-control or personal responsibility for one's actions that is often associated with an extravagant postmodern life; all of this adds up to life as a never-ending party. Unique to his philosophy is the concept of "authentic" happiness, which includes living life in search of unchanging fulfillment. “Authentic,” in this context, refers more to the reality of living in relation to pursuing the objects of one’s desires but also to introspection, while the opposite would be living life under the assumption that there isn’t much to live for apart from. An individual's quality of life should not be determined by excess, but by the value he places on social constructs such as time and relationships, along with anything else that contributes to his long-term satisfaction. Authentic happiness refers to that happiness that is not rooted in artificial ideas of wealth, fame, power, etc., but instead comes from a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us, and is that awareness of living the life to the fullest, regardless of personal effects, which will lead to greater self-realization than anything found in the material world. Epicurus had defined the physical state or the condition of satiety and all previous pleasures no longer as.