Ancient Philosophy for Today: Why Epicureanism Deserves Your Attention

In this episode of Beyond the Walled Garden, I'm joined by Anthony David Vernon, adjunct professor of philosophy at St. Thomas University and Miami Dade College, to explore Epicureanism, an ancient Greek philosophy that offers surprising wisdom for our modern struggles. While stoicism dominates social media feeds, Epicureanism provides a refreshing alternative focused on finding pleasure through simplicity, friendship, and the removal of unnecessary pain. Anthony helps us understand how Epicurean principles might combat today's challenges of hyper-consumerism, social media anxiety, and the constant pursuit of productivity. We discuss practical applications, misconceptions about pleasure vs. hedonism, and why this forgotten philosophy might be exactly what we need in our chaotic modern world. 📙 More from this episode:  - Anthony and I's I Ching episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-rjMNUMOUM - Anthony's Mixtapes: https://www.winamop.com/av2400.htm - Anthony's Work Pt. 1: https://www.pw.org/directory/writers/anthony_david_vernon - Anthony's Work Pt. 2: https://medium.com/@antmanvernon305 - Contrapoints conspiracy video: https://youtu.be/teqkK0RLNkI?si=CWqAl0aAyktIKKyn - The Art of Happiness: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Happiness-Penguin-Classics/dp/0143107216 ▶️ If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing to the channel for more: https://www.youtube.com/@joel_austin?sub_confirmation=1 🎭 Joel Austin is an actor, writer, filmmaker, and podcaster living in Los Angeles, CA. He teaches at UCLA Ext. and produces Beyond the Walled Garden with Joel Austin. He releases multiple videos and shorts every week. Find more about him below. 🎭       ⭐ More about Joel Austin:     - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@joel_austin?sub_confirmation=1   - Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/joelaustin.bsky.social    - IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1792430/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3_tt_0_nm_8_in_0_q_joel%2520austin   - Site: https://joel-austin.com ⭐ More about Beyond the Walled Garden:   - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkghuyUIQo2L5-X-gsEDwoVKDYuCYruc4   - Podcast Platforms: https://beyond-walled-garden.podbean.com/ #AncientPhilosophy #Epicureanism #ModernLife