Epicurus gets a lot of bad press and most people grow up thinking that the philosopher from Ancient Greece was a hedonist. Epicureanism has overtones of excessive pleasure-seeking or gastronomy - a person of exquisite taste in wine and food might be thought to be epicurean. Of course, this is complete bollocks when measured next to the man himself.

At his most excessive, Epicurus was modest indeed, and would certainly have eschewed the kind of lifestyle he has wrongly come to be associated with. While he advocated pleasure as the highest good, this pleasure was necessarily restrained. In seeking to overcome pain, such as being cold on a winters morning, one may need a coat or a blanket, but one does not need a branded luxury item. It is good to be free from pain, but not a lot needs to be done to achieve it. I am guessing that if he were around today, Epicurus would be an advocate for sustainable living, growing just enough food to allay hunger, wearing clothes that did the job of protecting from the elements. In fact he held that mental pleasure was regarded more highly than physical, and the ultimate pleasure was to have freedom from anxiety and mental pain, especially that arising from needless fear of death and of the wrath of the gods. In death, our atoms were dispersed to the elements, our mind and senses included, so that no fear need arise.

I suspect the fact that Epicurus set up a kind of commune on the outskirts of Athens may have attributed to the false rumours that abounded and come down to this day. In many ways, he is quite modern in his thinking and his remedies for being happy (which is surely a pleasurable experience) are entirely relevant. If pain is allayed by the means of keeping it simple (that is, focussing on our needs), then we may achieve the kind of mental tranquility that is the highest joy in life.