Philosopher

Hegesias of Cyrene

Overview

Hegesias (Ancient Greek: Ἡγησίας; fl. 290 BC) of Cyrene was a Cyrenaic philosopher. He argued that eudaimonia (happiness) is impossible to achieve, and that the goal of life should be the avoidance of pain and sorrow. Conventional values such as wealth, poverty, freedom, and slavery are all indifferent and produce no more pleasure than pain. Cicero claims that Hegesias wrote a book called ἀποκαρτερῶν (Death by Starvation), which persuaded so many people that death is more desirable than life that Hegesias was banned from teaching in Alexandria. It has been thought by some that Hegesias was influenced by Buddhist teachings.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).

Philosophers who discussed Hegesias of Cyrene

• Anniceris

Ideas Hegesias of Cyrene discusses

• Philosophy
• Libya
• Eudaimonia
• Sage (philosophy)
• Pain
• Aristippus
• Cyrenaics
• Alexandria
• Buddhists
• Cicero
• Diogenes Laertius
• Cyrene, Libya
• Anniceris
• Antipater of Cyrene

Place in the tradition

Part of Cyrenaics.

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