The Surprising Politics of Roman Epicureans: How Withdrawal Philosophy Conquered Rome

Attending an amazing interview with Columbia's Katharina Volk on Roman Epicureanism, while exploring how a philosophy of pleasure and withdrawal became the secret weapon of Roman politicians, assassins, and empire-builders during the late Republic.

Key Takeaways

• Epicureanism emphasized pleasure through absence of pain and withdrawal from political life to avoid disturbance and suffering
• Despite advocating political withdrawal, Epicureanism became enormously popular among Roman senators, generals, and political elites during the late Republic
• Wealthy equestrians like Atticus used Epicurean principles to survive civil wars by maintaining friendships across political factions while avoiding direct engagement
• Politically active Epicureans like Cassius justified assassination and warfare through "emergency clauses" and arguments about creating peaceful conditions for pleasure
• Caesar's alleged Epicureanism influenced his fatalistic attitude toward death and willingness to take extreme risks in pursuit of power
• Piso's rejection of a Roman triumph exemplified Epicurean disdain for glory, shocking contemporaries who viewed such honors as essential to Roman identity
• The philosophy succeeded as a form of intellectual insurance policy—providing justification for both withdrawal and engagement depending on circumstances
• Epicurean "freeloading" created tension with Roman civic virtue, yet offered attractive alternatives during periods of political chaos and disillusionment

Timeline Overview

• 00:00–02:19 — Introduction: The paradox of withdrawal-oriented philosophers dominating Roman political life during the late Republic
• 02:19–18:31 — What is Epicureanism: Core teachings about pleasure, minimalism, friendship, and withdrawal from public affairs
• 18:31–24:51 — Atticus the Epicurean: The quintessential case study of strategic non-engagement and universal friendship during civil wars
• 24:51–40:25 — Why Epicureans Entered Politics: How senators justified active politics through emergency clauses and pleasure calculations
• 40:25–END — Why Romans Entered Politics: Traditional civic values versus Epicurean withdrawal and the tension over glory

Epicureanism: The Philosophy of Strategic Pleasure

Epicureanism emerged in the late 4th century BCE as another Hellenistic philosophy centered on achieving the highest good through pleasure. However, this wasn't the hedonistic indulgence most people imagine. As Professor Katharina Volk describes, "the highest pleasure according to Epicurus is actually the absence of pain"—both physical pain and mental disturbance.

• The philosophy promoted an "austere and minimalist view of pleasure" focusing on basic needs like food, drink, and companionship rather than luxury or excess
• Practitioners aimed for ataraxia—a state free from physical pain and mental anxiety, achieved through careful limitation of desires and expectations
• Self-sufficiency became paramount: as Volk explains, "if you get into the wrong mindset you might get upset if you don't have them like what if you feel like you can only have caviar and champagne"
• The doctrine explicitly counseled withdrawal from political life, with Volk noting: "who wants to be a politician I mean it's just uh incredibly annoying dangerous heartbreak, you know you're going to drive yourself crazy just don't do it withdraw you know live a simple life"
• Marriage and children were discouraged as sources of potential trouble, with Epicureans preferring communities of like-minded philosophical friends
• The goal was living a "hidden life" focused on simple pleasures, philosophical discussion, and harmony within small supportive communities

This philosophical framework created what critics called a "freeloader problem"—Epicureans enjoyed the benefits of stable society while refusing civic responsibilities that maintained it.

The Roman Aristocratic Embrace

Despite fundamental conflicts with Roman civic virtue, Epicureanism gained remarkable popularity among the political elite during the late Republic. This success among the very class it counseled to withdraw creates one of philosophy's great historical ironies.

• Political disaffection among the upper classes drove many toward Epicurean alternatives during periods of civil conflict and institutional breakdown
• Members of the equestrian class—wealthy enough for political careers but choosing business over senate seats—found Epicurean withdrawal particularly appealing
• The philosophy offered intellectual justification for avoiding the increasingly dangerous world of late Republican politics while maintaining social respectability
• Contemporary critics like Cicero attacked Epicureanism as appealing to people's base desires for pleasure while undermining civic responsibility
• The philosophy's atomistic physics and emphasis on individual pleasure conflicted with traditional Roman values of duty, honor, and collective service

However, popularity among Rome's elite suggests Epicureanism provided compelling answers to the moral and practical challenges of political life during turbulent times.

Atticus: The Master of Epicurean Survival

Titus Pomponius Atticus exemplified the successful application of Epicurean principles to Roman aristocratic life. As a member of the wealthy equestrian class and close friend of Cicero, Atticus demonstrated how withdrawal could coexist with influence.

• Rather than seeking political office, Atticus operated as a behind-the-scenes financier and advisor to multiple political factions simultaneously
• His Epicurean commitment to friendship extended across party lines, supporting both Caesar's assassins and Mark Antony's family during civil wars
• This strategic neutrality allowed survival when partisan politicians faced assassination, exile, or execution during the Republic's violent final decades
• Atticus represented an early model of non-official political influence that would characterize imperial court culture under Augustus
• His approach balanced Epicurean self-preservation with the social obligations of his class, creating a sustainable middle path

The Atticus model proved that Epicurean withdrawal didn't require complete disengagement—just careful management of political relationships without direct partisan commitment.

The Politician's Paradox: Active Epicureans

The most fascinating cases involved senators who openly embraced Epicureanism while pursuing aggressive political careers, including warfare and assassination. These figures required sophisticated philosophical gymnastics to reconcile withdrawal doctrine with public engagement.

• Cassius, one of Caesar's assassins, allegedly justified the murder through Epicurean reasoning about creating conditions for peaceful pleasure
• Emergency clauses in Epicurean doctrine allowed temporary political engagement during crises, though critics questioned whether perpetual crisis made this exception meaningless
• Some Epicureans argued that virtue remained instrumental to pleasure, so apparently virtuous political actions could serve selfish philosophical ends
• The doctrine's flexibility allowed practitioners to claim almost any action served long-term pleasure by contributing to political stability

Julius Caesar himself was allegedly influenced by Epicurean thought, particularly regarding attitudes toward death and risk-taking that characterized his extraordinary career.

Caesar's Epicurean Fatalism

Caesar's reported statement that he had "lived enough for both nature and glory" reveals potential Epicurean influences on his approach to mortality and ambition. This philosophical perspective may have shaped his willingness to accept extreme risks throughout his career.

• Epicurean doctrine taught that death should not be feared, viewing it as simply the cessation of sensation rather than a terrible evil
• The philosophy promoted an attitude of "enoughness"—recognizing when one had extracted sufficient pleasure from life's experiences
• As Volk explains the Epicurean metaphor: "They have this image of a person who is at a party and at some point realizes, I've really got the best out of this party"
• This perspective could justify both Caesar's military recklessness and his eventual acceptance of assassination risks in Rome
• The reference to "glory" complicated pure Epicurean interpretation, since glory-seeking contradicted withdrawal doctrine
• Caesar's fatalistic attitude may have enabled the bold risk-taking that characterized his conquest of Gaul and crossing of the Rubicon

However, determining Caesar's genuine philosophical commitments remains speculative given the limited evidence and his pragmatic approach to intellectual influences.

Piso's Shocking Rejection of Glory

Lucius Calpurnius Piso's refusal of a triumph—one of Rome's highest honors—exemplified the radical implications of Epicurean anti-ambition doctrine. This decision scandalized contemporaries and revealed deep tensions between philosophical withdrawal and Roman cultural values.

• Roman triumphs represented the pinnacle of military achievement, involving elaborate parades where victorious generals were hailed as imperator by their troops
• Piso's rejection violated fundamental Roman expectations about honor, ambition, and proper aristocratic behavior
• Cicero's furious response captured Roman outrage at such rejection: "you criminal you plague you stain"—reflecting broader Roman suspicion of anyone who refused traditional honors
• The incident highlighted how Epicurean disdain for glory directly challenged core Roman cultural values about merit, achievement, and social hierarchy
• Piso's moderate political career suggested an Epicurean approach that fulfilled obligations without pursuing unnecessary risks or extreme honors
• His rejection paralleled later imperial examples like Tiberius, whose refusal of divine honors generated similar suspicion about hidden motives

This case demonstrated the practical difficulties of living Epicurean principles within a culture that demanded ambitious pursuit of honor and recognition.

Philosophical Competition: Why Other Schools Endorsed Politics

Understanding Epicurean political withdrawal requires comparison with competing philosophical schools that actively encouraged civic engagement. Most rival traditions viewed political participation as natural and virtuous for human beings.

• Stoicism, Epicureanism's main competitor, explicitly taught that humans were naturally social creatures with obligations to serve the common good
• These philosophies argued that virtue could only be fully exercised through public service and political engagement with fellow citizens
• As Volk explains the competing view: "What is a better place to do that than to do it in the political realm right is if you are a man"
• Traditional Roman values already emphasized civic duty, honor through public service, and collective responsibility for the Republic's welfare
• Other schools easily reconciled philosophical virtue with Roman cultural expectations about aristocratic obligations and careers
• This alignment made Stoicism and similar philosophies more socially acceptable while highlighting Epicurean radicalism

The contrast explains why Epicurean political withdrawal seemed so threatening to Roman traditionalists despite the philosophy's emphasis on peaceful coexistence.

Glory, Ambition, and Roman Identity

"True Glory is only for virtuous action and this is only action that is in the interest of the race publica not against it"

-Columbia's Katharina Volk

Roman attitudes toward glory and ambition created complex tensions that Epicurean anti-ambition doctrine directly challenged. While excess ambition was dangerous, complete lack of ambition was equally suspect in Roman culture.

• Traditional Roman society expected aristocrats to pursue honor, recognition, and lasting fame through public service and military achievement
• However, excessive personal ambition that threatened the Republic's collective welfare was viewed as dangerous tyrannical behavior
• Cicero attempted to resolve this tension by distinguishing "true glory" earned through virtuous service from false glory pursued for purely personal ends
• Someone completely uninterested in recognition or achievement violated Roman cultural expectations about proper masculine aristocratic behavior
• This created a narrow acceptable range between insufficient ambition (like Piso) and excessive ambition (like Caesar)

Epicurean rejection of glory-seeking thus challenged fundamental assumptions about human motivation, social hierarchy, and cultural values in Roman society.

Common Questions

Q: How could Epicureans justify political assassination while preaching withdrawal and peace?

A: Through emergency clauses allowing temporary engagement during crises and arguments that violence could create stable conditions for pleasure.

Q: Why didn't Romans simply dismiss Epicureanism as incompatible with their civic values?

A: Political disaffection during civil wars made withdrawal attractive, and the philosophy's flexibility allowed various interpretations.

Q: What made Atticus such a successful Epicurean politician?

A: He avoided direct office-holding while maintaining friendships across factions, surviving through strategic neutrality and financial influence.

Q: How did Epicurean attitudes toward death influence political behavior?

A: Reduced fear of mortality enabled greater risk-taking, as seen in Caesar's military and political recklessness.

Q: Why was Piso's rejection of triumph so shocking to Romans?

A: Refusing Rome's highest military honor violated cultural expectations about ambition, achievement, and proper aristocratic behavior.

Epicureanism's Roman political success reveals how philosophical doctrines adapt to practical circumstances, often contradicting their original principles. The tension between withdrawal and engagement continues influencing political thought about civic duty versus personal fulfillment.