Principal Doctrines, 17

Epicurus  translated by Peter Saint-Andre

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17One who acts aright is utterly steady and serene, whereas one who goes astray is full of trouble and confusion.[7]

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Notes

  • [7] I have expanded the translation here to capture several meanings of the key terms: ἀταρακτότατος means "utterly without disturbance" and by extension steady or serene, whereas πλείστης ταραχῆς means full of trouble, disorder, or tumult (expanded here to "full of trouble and confusion"). The words ὁ δίκαιος and ὁ ἄδικος are often translated "the just man" and "the unjust man", but the modern concept of justice is almost purely social whereas the Greek word δίκαιος has a wider range of meaning that encompasses what is right, fitting, balanced, ordered, decent, civilized, and the like; I have attempted to capture this ambiguity through the phrases "one who acts aright" and "one who goes astray".