Opinions of ancient philosophers: Epicureanism

Abstract

It would have been desirable for Diderot, for the sake of his own reputation, to have cited precisely all the sources from which he drew his exposition of Epicurus' philosophy. With the help of these passages, which were rejected or only mentioned, we would be able to see at a glance what belongs exclusively to the doctrine of this ancient philosopher and the conclusions that Diderot drew from this doctrine, which he inserted among the very principles that were its subject. It is particularly in his summary of Epicurus's morality that it would have been necessary to quote the original texts, so that everyone could judge for themselves a question that has given rise to very diverse opinions, and that religious prejudices, whatever their object, have contributed greatly to obscuring, as they confuse all those in which they are not entirely disregarded.