Tice Words

  
                    

  If there is anything to the idea of free will, I feel it must mean that
  humans always have it in their power to change their earlier choices at
  any time for the better, or strengthen them if that seems better.  Here 
  we have a palindrome in Byzantine Greek found on baptismal fonts in New 
  York City. It translates roughly as 'Wash away your errors and not just 
  make your face clean.' It is a palindrome because identical letters are
  found when read from left to right or right to left -- accent marks are 
  secondary and are sometimes left out.  In Greek, "palin" means "again",
  and "dromos" refers to "traveling speedily by foot"(as in the etymology
  of the word "dromedary").

  Whether we have free will or do not is an old question.  When the early
  Greek philosophers understood that matter was atomic in essence, it was
  clear that this suggested a mechanical world built of atoms and bunches
  of atoms knocking together mindlessly with no room for volition: humans 
  and animals would be types of simple machines, responding to any forces 
  that might bear on them, whether physical or psychological. Perhaps the
  first theorist to face this problem directly was known to the Romans as
  as Epicurus, and to the Greeks as Epikouros (’Επίκουρος),  342-270 BC.

 
  Epikouros introduced the idea that have the opportunity for free action
  because atoms might be more than simple pin-ball marbles : perhaps they 
  might "swerve" a very small bit randomly now and then, thus allowing us 
  the chance to make choices on our own.  We can compare this idea to the
  experimentally established 'uncertainty relationship' between the speed 
  and location of quite small particles that appears almost everywhere in
  serious modern physics ( link here ).

  Epikouros accepted women and slaves as his students, and his reputation
  was attacked.  Although Epikouros was virtuous himself according to the
  very different social standards of his period, his rivals promoted much
  malicious gossip about him which eventually poisoned his good name.  It
  was a man's world, so to speak, for philosophers in Greece. Competitive
  philosophical schools vied for followers.  In such a situation, jealous 
  rumors and remarks circulated widely about any rival school of thought,
  and the free marketplace of ideas began to have the nature of a college 
  fraternity competition.  Stoics thus had to show that their gloomy view
  was better than that of the politicized followers of Plato, or the more
  or less scientific students of Aristotle, and that they were surely far 
  finer people than the quiet herd inspired by moderate Epikouros. 
    
  Commonly, among the later followers of any striking personality will be
  individuals who bring the ideals of the founder into disrepute. Thus in
  Rome (250 years later), the orator Cicero delivered a speech in a court 
  trial that he later carefully preserved.  In it, Cicero mocked one Piso
  for his fancy "epicurean" life style. Since Cicero himself was wealthy,
  this famous speech was a masterpiece of hypocrisy, and tells us as much
  about Cicero as Piso. Even so, Cicero's speech had long-term effects in
  later centuries since Cicero's Latin style was esteemed by the medieval
  monks who preserved copies of Roman writings. (Although not a committed
  Stoic, Cicero allowed a Stoic philosopher named Diodotus to live in his
  own household for many years, and often talked for hours with him.) 

  In the Middle Ages Cicero's remarks became the accepted way of thinking
  about many things in the ancient world, one result being that Epikouros
  got to be known as a libertine and type of reprobate. Misleadingly, the
  word "epicurean" today can suggest anything but the restrained ideas of
  Epikouros about the best way to live and behave.

  For Epikouros, existence should not be a life of suffering: we ought to
  avoid making ourselves miserable with greedy behavior that backfires or 
  creates unhappiness. We should try to stay comfortable, yet remain good
  and kind. We have the freedom to choose our paths, and we should do so.
  Live indeed: but avoid acts that will bring regret, guilt or shame from

  others in the end!  Enjoy friendship; enjoy each day. For peace of mind,  
  relax, remain contented, and find the best, even if you are not wealthy.
                                                 
  A corollary of this was that Epikouros taught we shouldn't enter public
  life if we want to be happy. It will only bring frustration and anxiety,
  if not conflict. Political involvement was important for many people in 
  his time, and a 'private' man (or woman) was considered ridiculous then
  and even today too.

  Epikouros lived centuries before the distillation of alcohol and before
  alcoholism was discussed as a social problem. Myth and legend of course

  described murderous brawls that arose from too much wine, but the 'task'
  of getting drunk required more effort at that time than now.  Epikouros
  wanted his followers to enjoy meals as friends and to not let anyone be
  carried away with mindless behavior.  Solitary indulgence seems against
  his goal of bringing happiness, and, as to alcoholism, my guess is that
  he would say that if you haven't been easily able to walk away from the
  wine cup, don't walk toward it. If you will regret it: Don't go get it. 
                                                                                                                                                
  Epikouros doubted the significance of the Greek gods of his
  century: he believed that a quiet and peaceful life was the
  best life, and he didn't ask his followers to abstain: just
  don't overdo; count up your drinks. After all, to drink too
  much too quickly dulls the mind so that it promptly reduces
  your happiness, neh?  Since friendship is a fine thing, who
  would want to lose a friend because one or the other of you
  had lost your free will to make good decisions?  It's clear
  that this Stop Here! Now! should apply with even more force
  to the glut of other intoxicants which damage the judgement
  (and hurt the brain or body), and that are too common today
  some two thousand, four hundred years after he lived.
                          
                                   See my page "Are Atoms Predictable?" under "Special Topics."