4
Theories on Ethics
Philosophers have had diverse perspectives on ethics. As mentioned earlier in this book, in ancient Greece the sophists were interested in perfecting the technique of discourse, argumentation, and rhetoric and were criticized by classical philosophers because for the sophists the truth was always relative. The ultimate goal of the sophists was to win the lawsuit without considering whether they manipulated the facts or whether the arguments used were true or not.
Epicurus (341–270 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher. For Epicurus, the purpose of philosophy was to attain a happy and tranquil life, characterized by ataraxia (peace and freedom from fear) and aponia (the absence of pain). Epicurus was a hedonist,* he taught ...
