The Cyrenaics were an ultra-hedonist Greek school of philosophy founded in the 4th century BC, allegedly by Aristippus of Cyrene or his grandson of the same name, so called after Cyrene, the birthplace of Aristippus. It was one of the two earliest Socratic schools, and emphasized one side only of the Socratic teaching (cf. Cynics).

Philososphy

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The Cyrenaics held that pleasure was the supreme good, but pleasure primarily in the sense of bodily gratifications, which they thought more intense and more choiceworthy than mental pleasures. They also denied that we should defer immediate gratification for the sake of long-term gain. In these respects they differ from the Epicureans.

The Cyrenaics were also known for their skeptical theory of knowledge. They thought that we can know with certainty our immediate sense-experiences (for instance, that I am having a sweet sensation now) but can know nothing about the nature of the objects that cause these sensations (for instance, that the honey is sweet). They also denied that we can have knowledge of what the experiences of other people are like.

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I am truly convinced that Paris Hilton belongs to the Cyrenaic school of Hellenistic philosophy. #philojokes
sophiaperennis (sophiaperennis) Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:00:33 -0000
I am truly convinced that Paris Hilton belongs to the Cyrenaic school of Hellenistic philosophy. #philojokes

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