Epicurus vs Epictetus
True happiness is state of being that each and every human has the ability to experience. It can either come from indulging desires or come from mental and or spiritual happiness in which two great philosophers have studied and mastered in great depth. Although Epicurus and Epictetus both had very strong opinions to this argument, Epictetus showed that it is necessary to have a knowledgeable understanding of what is giving you that satisfaction. With his idea we see that it is important to see the big picture in order to be happy rather than Epicurus' simple stand of satisfying your basic desires. In my personal opinion I believe that you should not go out of your way to make yourself happy if it consists of hurting others. To begin we must understand that there are many types of happiness. Happiness that come from pleasures such as eating tasty food or taking warms baths. Happiness that comes from engagement, for example trying something challenging and succeeding in doing so. Happiness that comes from meaning, in other words being religious and belonging to a higher being. Last but not least happiness that comes from accomplishments, achieving a lifelong goal or dream. As you can see there are many different ways to be happy and if you are living happy then you are living a good life. Epicurus and Epictetus have some of the same view on the achievement of the good life. Epicurus believes that nothing is created out of nothing, in other words everything has a reason for existing. He believes that knowledge is the key to finding true pleasure and without pain there is no pleasure, so both pain and pleasure must coexist. He says people should not have fear in God because God does not interfere with their lives and people cannot control their destiny but they can control their happiness, so they should live their lives not with the fear of dying because the anticipation of it is considered to be painful, but rather they should pursue