About The Autarkist

Of all the ancient Greek philosophers, one stands above the rest: Epicurus. His ethical doctrine calling for a pleasant life inspired a school of devoted followers for over 700 years, and after the Renaissance he once again gained prominence. But in order to attain a life of pleasure, he taught that we need to have the “confident expectation” that we can easily meet our natural and necessary desires now and in the future.

Freedom is the greatest fruit of self-sufficiency. – Vatican Sayings 77

Autarchy translates as autonomy or self-sufficiency and today most often applies to self-reliant communities. It’s also an important aspect of Epicurean economics, and one of the main points of focus of this blog. If you’d like to learn more about this noble secular humanist philosophy, please feel free to visit the Society of Epicurus’ webpage.

I dedicate this blog to the lineage of the laughing philosophers–teachers, poets, comedians and authors–that have kept the Epicurean tradition alive over the ages, and that perpetuate it today and tomorrow.