Principal Doctrine 17

From Epicurus Wiki

Jump to: navigation, search

<<Prev | Principal Doctrines | Next>>

Translation

The just man is the freest of anyone from anxiety; but the unjust man is perpetually haunted by it.

Analysis

This epigrammatic Doctrine selects justice -- understood here as individual conduct, not as institutional practice -- from among the virtues outlined in Principal Doctrine 5, and lays the foundation for the more elaborate psychological observations discussed in Principal Doctrine 34 and Principal Doctrine 35.

Simply put: the individual who behaves justly is at peace; the one who behaves unjustly, on the contrary, is filled with anxiety.

Personal tools