Epicurus

Epicurus ("ally, comrade"; 341–270 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher as well as the founder of the school of philosophy called Epicureanism. Only a few fragments and letters of Epicurus's 300 written works remain. Much of what is known about Epicurean philosophy derives from later followers and commentators.
For Epicurus, the purpose of philosophy was to attain the happy, tranquil life, characterized by ataraxia—peace and freedom from fear—and aponia—the absence of pain—and by living a self-sufficient life surrounded by friends. He taught that pleasure and pain are the measures of what is good and evil; death is the end of both body and soul and should therefore not be feared; the gods neither reward nor punish humans; the universe is infinite and eternal; and events in the world are ultimately based on the motions and interactions of atoms moving in empty space.
== Tossup Questions ==
# Lactantius's Treatise on the Anger of God critiques one argument made by this philosopher, a trilemma considered the earliest statement of the problem of evil. This philosopher argued that if multiple explanations both account for a set of data, then all should be admitted, though his best known contribution to science was his non-deterministic statement of (+) atomic theory. Known for regularly admitting women and slaves to his school, he argued that death was not to be feared and founded the Garden. He described the absence of pain, or aponia, as well as a state of perfect (*) tranquility known as ataraxia. For 10 points, name this Greek philosopher whose namesake philosophical school is often unfairly equated to hedonism.
# This thinker is the namesake of a paradox that is a logical formation of the problem of evil. His few extant works include a letter explaining his physical theory and addressed to Herodotus. Like Democritus, he was an atomist, though his version included the possibility of swerves in atomic motion to allow for free will. His major ethical teachings included that the soul is not immortal and that the person should strive to attain ataraxia. For 10 points, name this Greek philosopher who taught that the only goal in life should be to maximize one's pleasure.
# One work by this man includes as its twenty-third claim that all friendships are created for their ability to benefit, which appears in his Sententiae Vaticanae. This man agreed with Archytas that the mind is more powerful than vision and vision in turn more powerful than the other senses, and some letters he wrote to Pythocles, Menoeceus, and Herodotus. Lucretius described this man's philosophy in De Rerum Natura, and after moving to Athens, this philosopher established a school named "the Garden." For 10 points, name this Greek philosopher who believed that the absence of pain best promoted pleasure.
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