Epicurean Razor
Will Freeman – The Literary Fiction and Companion Title to the p.(x)
Sophia: Epicurus, today we reflect on self-sufficiency and desire. In a world of literature and imagination, what can a man truly gain by asking the gods for what he can achieve himself?
Epicurus: Sophia, it is folly for a man to pray to the gods for that which he has the power to obtain by himself. Happiness, virtue, and even companionship are within reach if reason and action guide him.
Sophia: Then the pursuit of literary understanding—or even personal fulfillment—is not a matter of divine intervention, but of deliberate engagement with the world and the self.
Epicurus: Precisely. To wait on fortune or pray for providence is to surrender one’s own agency. The wise person identifies what he can act upon and does so, cultivating joy and tranquility.
It is folly for a man to pray to the gods for that which he has the power to obtain by himself.
— Epicurus (341-270 BC)
Sophia: And yet, literature, like Will Freeman’s journey in fiction, allows us to explore the consequences of choice, the subtle interplay of desire and action, without the immediacy of real-world risk.
Epicurus: Indeed. Stories reveal human nature and the potential for fulfillment. They teach that reliance upon the gods is less important than reliance upon reason, courage, and understanding.
Sophia: So the lesson is twofold: engage with life consciously, and reflect upon it thoughtfully. Imagination and action together form a path toward the good we can attain ourselves.
Epicurus: Yes. Whether in novels or daily living, we must act where we can, understand where we can, and let prudence, not prayer, guide our steps.
Sophia: Then, like Will Freeman, we navigate the narrative of our own lives: the protagonist, the observer, and the architect of our happiness—all in one.
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