Menoeceus 132

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Translation

The greatest virtue and the basis for all virtues is prudence. Prudence is something even more valuable than philosophy, because all other virtues spring from it. It teaches us that it is not possible to live pleasurably unless one also lives prudently, honorably, and justly; nor is it possible to live prudently, honestly, and justly without living pleasurably. For the virtues are inseparable from living pleasantly, and living pleasantly is inseparable from the virtues.

Analysis

According to Epicurus, the cardinal virtue, and the origin of all others is prudence. For this reason, he asserts, it is of even greater value than philosophy. With this assertion, Epicurus brings the aim of philosophy down to earth, and away from idle, abstract speculations, or hollow syllogisms. In sharp contrast to Epicurus' teaching, it is hard to imagine that any of his rivals would have ever dared elevate the simple, everyday practice of prudence and sobriety above the supposedly lofty ideals and intellectual aspirations of philosophy, the quintessential practice of the wise. He may have meant this statement as a calculated affront to his competitors.

Echoing Principal Doctrine 5, Epicurus reiterates the closed-ended reciprocity he saw between virtue and happiness: one cannot have one without the other. It is a necessary and sufficient condition that one live prudently, honorably, and justly in order to live happily; vice versa, living happily cannot possibly be attained if one does not live prudently, honorably, and justly. In fact, Epicurus adds, happiness and the virtues have originated and evolved together. One may speculate that this is a notion later elaborated in the "cultural anthropology" of Lucretius.