Cyrenaic, adherent of a Greek school of moral
philosophy, active around the turn of the 3rd century bc, which held that the
pleasure of the moment is the criterion of goodness and that the good life
consists in rationally manipulating situations with a view to their hedonistic
(or pleasure-producing) utility.
The school was called Cyrenaic because Cyrene
in North Africa was the centre of its activity and the birthplace of several of
its members. Although the elder Aristippus, a pupil of Socrates, was generally
recognized as its founder, its flourishing occurred at a later date, probably
at the end of the 4th century bc.
According to the Cyrenaics, a man knows that
things external to himself exist because they have an effect upon him, but he
can know nothing about their nature. All that he can perceive is the way in
which he himself is affected by them; how other men are affected is unknown.
The fact that two men give the same name to their experiences is no guarantee
of identity. Thus, the only admissible objective of action is to ensure that
one’s own affections are pleasant. The three possible conditions of the human
constitution are violent change, gentle change, and stability. The first is
accompanied by pain, the second by pleasure, the last by neither. Man must
avoid the first and seek the second; it is a mistake to suppose that the third
is pleasant or desirable. Moreover, the pleasure to be sought is that of the
moment; only present experience can give present pleasure. Happiness, the sum
of pleasures, is to be valued because it includes momentary pleasures, which
are like in kind, their relative value depending only on their intensity.
Bodily pleasures (and pains) are more intense than those of the mind.
Nevertheless, the latter were recognized and even held to include some that
have an altruistic aspect; e.g., joy in the prosperity of one’s country. To be
stronger than pleasure is a true Socratic ideal and distinguishes the Cyrenaic
from the wastrel.
Three Cyrenaics made innovations important
enough to give their names to followers. Theodorus denied that pleasures and
pains are good or bad. His aim was mental cheerfulness and the gift of wisdom,
which he considered sufficient for happiness. Hegesias, like Theodorus, doubted
the power of reason to procure pleasures and so advised avoidance of pain; much
pain of mind could be avoided by regarding such things as poverty and riches,
slavery and freedom, death and life as matters of indifference. Finally,
Anniceris revived the original doctrines with some additions.
of Epicurus, founder of a later school of ethical philosophy
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