Odysseus and the Epicureans
The Homeric hero from a philosophical perspective, part III
Odysseus was one of the classic role models for the Stoics. And for the Cynics. As well as my favorite mythological hero when I was a kid. All excellent reasons for this miniseries of essays on the legendary Greek hero and how he has been interpreted through the lenses of a number of Hellenistic philosophies.
These notes are based on my reading of the excellent From Villain to Hero: Odysseus in Ancient Thought, by Silvia Montiglio. Having looked at how the Cynics and the Stoics tackled the question of Odysseus, it is now the turn of the Epicureans. I am skipping Montiglio’s treatment of the Platonists, but I will conclude next time with a jump forward in time, to Dante’s take on Ulysses in the Divine Comedy, where Cato the Younger — another Stoic role model — is also featured, as the only pagan outside of Hell.
Montiglio begins the chapter with Heraclitus’ famous accusation that Epicurus used Odysseus’ praise of feasting and singing to further his nefarious philosophy: “What Odysseus said falsely, unwisely, and hypocritically at the court of Alcinous, Epicurus pronounces as the goal of life, and claims to be speaking the truth.” But this doesn’t make much sense once we consider that the Epicureans’ praise of pleasure was not at all concerned with…
