Epicurean Economy — Natural and Necessary Desires
Epicurus taught that distinguishing natural and necessary desires from empty ones is the secret of a rich and tranquil life, since the few true needs are easily met and free us from anxious striving.
Though often caricatured as a hedonist, Epicurus prescribed a disciplined simplicity, sorting desires into the natural and necessary, the natural but unnecessary, and the empty and vain. The necessary desires, such as food, shelter, friendship, and freedom from pain, are easily satisfied, so the wise person who limits cravings to these enjoys abundance without the endless toil that empty desires demand. He observed that one who is not satisfied with little will never be satisfied with much, locating wealth in the calibration of desire rather than the size of one's estate. This frugal hedonism, aimed at lasting tranquility (ataraxia), strikingly parallels research showing that experiences, relationships, and freedom from financial stress contribute more to happiness than luxury consumption. Epicurus thus offers a path to feeling rich now by mastering which desires one chooses to serve.
Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little.
Happiness research finds that experiences, relationships, and freedom from financial stress outweigh luxury consumption, echoing Epicurus's teaching that mastering desire, not multiplying goods, makes life rich.
Vatican Sayings
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- What the wisdom traditions say about having enough
Epicurus separates the desires that are natural and necessary from the rest, on the grounds that genuine needs are few and cheaply met. It is an argument for calm, not for austerity.
- What the prosperity traditions say about envy and comparison
Epicurus' sorting is a usable test: split a want into natural-and-necessary, natural-but-unnecessary, or empty and vain. Most of what comparison manufactures lands in the third pile, and putting it there is often enough to loosen its hold.