Kelsey Summarell

1.3

Epicurus argues that fearing and worrying about the future is humankind’s greatest cause

of anxiety. “For thar which makes no trouble for us when it arrives is a meaningless pain when

we await it” (p.855). Epicurus is saying it is pointless for us to worry about things to come

because we are only causing ourselves undue pain. His proposed remedy is that we should not

expect the future to be and we should not worry about what the future is not going to be. “We

shall neither expect the future outright as something destined to nor despair of it as something

absolutely not destined to be” (p.855).

Kynikos sways Lycinus into reversing his own thinking about wisdom and living like the

gods through asking questions and giving examples. Kynikos tells a story about a man giving a

feast and that one of the guests ate all of the food, and the guest was in perfect health. Then

Kynikos asks Lycinus if he would consider this guest reasonable and Lycinus answers no. After

this story he tells him another story about a man giving a feast and that one of the guests politely

ate what was sufficient of his needs. Then Kynikos asks Lycinus if this guest is better bred than

the first guest and Lycinus answers yes (pp. 868-869). This helped Kynikos sway Lycinus

because he is telling an easy to understand story about how we should not be concerned with

having lots of fancy things and live a more humble life. On page 871 Kynikos says, “So how

dare you describe my appearance as scruffy when it even suits the gods?”Kynikos explained to

Lycinus that the gods had beards and were shirtless. The gods’ appearance more resembled

Kynikos than that of Lycinus. This helped Kynikos to sway Lycinus into revising his thinking

because Kynikos was saying that his lifestyle represented that of the gods.