Epicureanism - Epicurus believed that the greatest good was to seek modest, sustainable pleasure in the form of a state of ataraxia(tranquility and freedom from fear) and aponia (the absence of bodily pain) through knowledge of the workings of the world and limiting desires. The combination of these two states constitutes happiness in its highest form. Correspondingly, Epicurus and his followers shunned politics because it could lead to frustrations and ambitions which can directly conflict with the Epicurean pursuit for peace of mind and virtues.[1]
Although Epicureanism is a form of hedonism insofar as it declares pleasure to be its sole intrinsic goal, the concept that the absence of pain and fear constitutes the greatest pleasure, and its advocacy of a simple life, make it very different from "hedonism" as colloquially understood.
Epicureanism flourished in the Late Hellenistic era and during the Roman era, and many Epicurean communities were established, such as those in Antiochia, Alexandria, Rhodes, and Herculaneum. By the late 3rd Century CE Epicureanism all but died out, being opposed by other philosophies (mainly Neoplatonism) that were now in the ascendant. Interest in Epicureanism was resurrected in the Age of Enlightenment and continues in the modern era.
Thanks very much for the citation, though I probably should have been more clear in my post that I had never encountered the
Hebraicized form of the word - Apikorsim - outside of the novel.
I'm curious as to whether this term has any actual use among Jews, or if it is a wholecloth invention of Potok's. I used to listen to the Saturday night hasidic programming on the WMCA AM station in New York, which did prove very enlightening in many respects, but I never heard them use the word "Apikorsim."
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