#154 Happiness: Epicurus' Ancient Guide - Jonny Thomson

#154 Happiness: Epicurus' Ancient Guide - Jonny Thomson

From Within Reason by Alex J O'Connor

May 4, 2026 · 1h 49m

About this episode

In this episode, Jonny Thomson discusses Epicurean philosophy and its relevance to happiness.

Get all sides of every story and be better informed at https://ground.news/AlexOC - subscribe for 40% off unlimited access.For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack: https://www.alexoconnor.com.Jonny Thomson is a philosopher and the founder of PhilosophyMinis . He is on the Executive Board for the British Philosophy Association and is a staff writer at Big Think.Get Jonny's upcoming book, The Art of Enough: The Ancient Epicurean Philosophy of Finding – and Keeping – Happiness TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Are Epicureans Selfish?05:30 - Why Epicureanism?10:31 - Who Was Epicurus?16:42 - Godless But Not Atheistic23:21 - Epicurus’ Metaphysics27:24 - Why Focus on Pleasure?35:29 - Epicureanism vs Utilitarianism48:59 - What About Immoral Pleasures?53:02 - Could AI be Epicurean?01:00:50 - The Experience Machine01:10:59 - Why Epicurus Didn’t Like Sex01:16:21 - Are Influencers Watering Down Ancient Philosophy?01:20:06 - Are You In Control of Your Happiness?01:26:33 - Epicureanism vs Stoicism01:32:36 - Epicurus on Death01:36:42 - Do We Have a Happiness Crisis? - CONNECTMy Website: https://www.alexoconnor.comSOCIAL LINKS:Twitter…

People in this episode

Host: Alex J O'Connor

Guest: Jonny Thomson

Topics covered

  • Happiness
  • Epicureanism
  • Philosophy
  • Pleasure
  • Death
  • Utilitarianism

Keywords

  • Epicureanism
  • Happiness
  • Philosophy
  • Pleasure
  • Utilitarianism
  • Death
  • AI

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: PhilosophyMinis, British Philosophy Association, Big Think

Books & works: The Art of Enough: The Ancient Epicurean Philosophy of Finding – and Keeping – Happiness

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