Question

What questions did hellenistic philosophers try to answer? 2. list the main views of the cynic philosophers. 3. outline the philosophy founded by epicurus. 4. what were the major ideas of the stoics? 5. describe the philosophy of skepticism?

Answer 1

Answer 1: The hellenistic philosophers tried to actually answer numerous questions related to various ideas of what it means to lead a good life and how to access the meaning of life and find the truth. They dealt with ethics, politics, ontology, logic, rhetoric, and numerous other disciplines in order to find ways on leading a good life.

Answer 2: The main views was that people need to lead a life full of virtue and in coordination with nature. They were about leading a simple life free from all possessions, both physical/material, and abstract/or spiritual. They refused any wealth or fame that they got and even abstained from sexual intercourse.

Answer 3: Epicurus wanted to find a way to lead a simple, happy and tranquil life. He believed that in order to achieve this you need to find your peace and live a self-sufficient life that is devoid of pain and misery. He tried to teach anyone that pain mostly comes from the irrational fear of death and tried to preach on how we should stop fearing death.

Answer 4: The stoics believed that for a person to lead a good life it is necessary for them to accept the moment as it is and not allow things like fear and pain to overwhelm them. They also believed that we should treat others fairly and justly and that destructive behavior is out of errors of judgement which should not exist.

Answer 5: Skeptics believed that we should not accept things as they are presented to us or told to us but rather that we should question everything since there is usually enough justification even for all opposite things that are told to us. Their key was undermining dogmatic belief and encouraging people to think for themselves.<span />