Cyrenaic philosophy is often presented as stressing the value of momentary pleasures while disregarding virtuous character traits, peace of mind, and long-range flourishing. Fortunately for the modern Cyrenaic, this simplified popular understanding is incorrect. Both the Aristippean doxography and remaining Cyrenaic material suggest concerns beyond immediate delights, though these sweet moments are certainly most important. The New Cyrenaicism of Walter Pater further develops enduring themes, adapting the ancient hedonic philosophy to broader pleasures, particularly a refined aesthetic appreciation.
How should we approach these additional concerns? Rather than understanding any of these factors as the end in themselves, we should rather consider them partial constituents of the pleasant life, each of which enables one to pursue and enjoy positive experiences to the fullest extent, those pleasures being our proper telos. Error enters when we confuse means with ends. Competing ethical standards are held out with seductive flair, tantalizing audiences with high-sounding notions of an allegedly superior attainment. Whether it be the strenuous adherence to Stoic virtue, or ascetic Buddhist enlightenment, or indifferent Pyrrhonic ataraxia, each promises a “noble” vision of the good life devoid of present joyful content. Eudaemonists are not created equal. You must ask yourself what flourishing really means, searching yourself for direct feelings of true happiness, accepting no substitute. We may consider a severe historical or social context wherein the achievement of austere serenity is the highest blessing one can reasonably hope after. Perhaps life is largely dismal, and psychological detachment, limited desire for humble necessities, shared with a supportive community, our only defense. I submit that the majority of modern humans can dream a little larger, and Cyrenaicism, the sunniest of Ancient Greek attitudes, is most appropriate for prosperous times.
On that note, let’s return to the correct understanding:
- Virtue is an invaluable instrumental good, our greatest assurance both of procuring future enjoyable experiences, and appreciating them to the highest degree when they arrive. Aristippean paideia, the philosophical education for which he famously charged fees, consisted primarily of teaching students social mastery, the right understanding of value, the idiosyncratic Cyrenaic virtue of sophrosunē (soundness of mind), and training self-possession. The evident esteem in which Aristippus held these enduring character traits is made clear in an anecdote wherein he provides for himself and his compatriots, after washing ashore from a capsized vessel, by entertaining civilized men with his rhetorical, social, and philosophical skills. Upon the departure of the men he sailed in with, they request some parting advice, which he provides as follows: “children ought to be provided with property and resources of a kind that could swim with them even out of a shipwreck.” (Redmond, 2012).
- Peace of mind is a necessary element both for avoiding anxiety and distress, and for savouring unmixed happiness. Once we understand how little is strictly necessary for our enjoyment - just the avoidance of pain and some modicum of pleasure - we become far more calm and confident. Consequently, we disdain excess, and, paraphrasing the words of Horace, aim higher while remaining mostly content with what we have. Kurt Lampe elaborates further: “Aristippus does not value any particular pleasure so much that he would trouble himself if it were not available. That would be counterproductive: the distress of “hunting painfully” for fine garments, perfume, or some particular courtesan would more than counterbalance whatever enjoyment they could yield…[the] stress and anxiety of a mind filled by unruly desires are significant evils for Aristippus. While one of the goals of his philosophy is to clarify the goodness of pleasure and ensure its regular supply, another is to eliminate mental uneasiness.” (2017). When we already have everything required for a pleasant life, though there’s nothing wrong with working for more, if this striving inhibits present enjoyment, we are harboring an illness which is undercutting the entire project.
- Our long-term wellbeing is both cause and consequence of living a fulfilling and satisfying life, as pleasant feelings, when we properly understand their physical origin, are the result of meeting our biological and psychological requirements. It’s worth mentioning that Aristippean presentism is a spiritual exercise — a recommendation for focusing one’s attention and efforts on the present moment in order to savor its pleasures all the more — and not a rejection of future-planning or reflective gratitude. While Cyrenaics do stress that anticipation of pleasures to come, or recollection of pleasures gone by, are not of equal value to current experiences, there is no suggestion that we blindly occupy an ever-vanishing point of space-time, living as bi-pedal goldfish. The assurance that what we really need is easy to acquire, and that we can reasonably expect to achieve it, provides us with confidence and security. Unlike the Stoics, we can admit that life sometimes gets in the way even for the most well-equipped of us, and no matter what, there are going to be times where we experience sorrow and suffering. These are, however, not the essence of existence, and for the most part, our days are passed blissfully.
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