Epicurus

Epicurus (341–270 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher and founder of Epicureanism. Born on Samos to Athenian parents, he studied philosophy before establishing schools in Mytilene and Lampsacus. Around 306 BCE, he settled in Athens and founded the Garden, a philosophical community that admitted women and enslaved people. His philosophy taught that happiness consists primarily in freedom from bodily pain and mental disturbance, achieved through prudent living, friendship, and the rational removal of fear, especially fear of the gods and death. He died in Athens in 270 BCE.