ABSTRACT
This chapter argues Epicurean philia, as a cornerstone of the peculiar social context in the Garden, grew out of their account of the psychology of natural human associations. It examines the implications of Epicurus' inter-entailment thesis, according to which it is impossible to live pleasurably without living virtuously and vice versa. The chapter compares with Epicurus' inter-entailment thesis between friendship and pleasure as it is described in Cicero's De Finibus. It considers some of the Epicurus natural and necessary desires inherently connected to virtuous activities, he regarded friendship as a natural association based on a mutual love for each other's characters. Philodemus' evidence will clarify the practical role friendship played in one's self-conception, which will disclose the Epicurean friend as another self. Therefore the examination of Epicurean friendship is indispensable for the proper understanding of their notion of the self.
