Below is a synthesized “modern Epicureanism” and the personality/temperament of a typical modern follower—adapted for today’s environment and expressed across multiple psychological frameworks. This is a generalized portrait, not a diagnosis, capturing central tendencies rather than hard rules. [1]
Modern Epicureanism today (essence and adaptations)
- Core aim: sustainable well-being through simple, reliably renewing pleasures; freedom from bodily pain (aponia) and mental disturbance (ataraxia). Practical friendship, measured desires, and clear thinking are the means. [1]
- Modernized Tetrapharmakos:
- Don’t fear supernatural punishment (adopt a secular, evidence-based calm).
- Don’t fear death (shift to present-focused savoring and legacy via relationships).
- What’s good is easy to get (simple foods, sleep, sunlight, movement, friendship).
- What’s terrible is often tolerable/manageable (skills for stress, pain, finances). [6]
- Lifestyle adaptations:
- Savoring rituals: slow meals, nature walks, tea/coffee ceremonies, unhurried conversation. [1]
- Digital hygiene: curated feeds, notification boundaries, device-free spaces to protect tranquility. [6]
- Health as pleasure’s foundation: sleep discipline, daily light exercise, preventive care. [4]
- Minimalism and “enoughness”: cap consumption, emphasize experiences over possessions. [2]
- Financial serenity: emergency fund, low overhead, “freedom budget” for time-rich living. [5]
- Friendship circles: small, dependable networks for mutual aid and joy. [7]
- Mental clarity: CBT-style reframing, exposure to realistic information, contemplative practice. [3]
Personality/temperament of a typical modern Epicurean follower
Jungian archetypes
- Primary: The Caregiver (nurtures friends and community because secure, mutual support sustains calm). [1]
- Secondary: The Sage (uses reason to prune unnecessary desires and dispel fear). [3]
- Tertiary: The Lover (savoring beauty, food, art, nature—deep but non-excessive). [1]
Myers-Briggs 4-letter types (most characteristic)
- Most common cluster: ISFP (calm savorer), INFP (values-centered well-being), ESFP (experiential, people-warm), ISFJ (rituals, steady care). [1]
- Also seen: ENFP (social savoring with ideals), ISTJ (health/finance routines for stability). [6]
Myers-Briggs 2-letter temperaments (Keirsey groupings)
- Primary: SP (sensing-experiencing savorers) and NF (meaning-focused humanists). [1]
- Secondary: SJ (stability and routine for health/finance). [6]
- Less typical but possible: NT (systems-thinking minimalists). [3]
Enneagram (typical patterns)
- Core: Type 9 (Peacemaker) seeking harmony and low reactivity; often 9w1 for principled simplicity. [1]
- Common variants: Type 7 (Enthusiast) when focused on joyful variety without excess, often 7w6; Type 2 (Helper) for friendship-centered support; Type 5 (Observer) for tranquil autonomy and knowledge. [3]
- Instinct stack: self-preservation (sp) first or social (so) first; sexual (sx) typically lower to keep overall equilibrium. [6]
“The New Personality Self-Portrait” styles (Oldham)
- High: Leisurely (healthy version—unhurried, boundary-savvy), Conscientious (health/finance habits), Devoted (to friends), Sensitive (aesthetic savoring). [1]
- Moderate: Vigilant (about stressors), Adventurous (variety within safety), Idiosyncratic (personal “enoughness” philosophy), Solitary (values downtime), Serious (about tranquility’s prerequisites). [6]
- Low: Dramatic, Mercurial, Aggressive. Socially awkward: generally no, given warm, small-group orientation. [7]
Four-temperament blend (humors)
- Sanguine–Phlegmatic: warm, steady, friendly; prefers easeful sociability over intensity; avoids unnecessary conflict. [1]
Possible personality disorders?
- None are inherent to the philosophy. At unhealthy extremes, patterns could mimic Avoidant (over-avoiding challenge to minimize discomfort), Dependent (if comfort/security is outsourced), or Obsessive–Compulsive personality features (over-control of routines). This is not a diagnosis; context and impairment matter. [3]
Hierarchy of basic desires (from most central to supportive)
- Mental tranquility (ataraxia) and bodily ease (aponia)
- Reliable friendship and belonging
- Simple, repeatable pleasures (good food, rest, nature, art)
- Autonomy over time and finances
- Health and safety
- Meaningful but low-drama work
- Learning that reduces fear and confusion
- Beauty and craft
- Contribution to close community
[1][6]
Hierarchy of basic values
- Tranquility and freedom from avoidable suffering
- Prudence (practical wisdom) as the chief instrument of happiness
- Friendship, trust, and mutual aid
- Temperance and measured desire
- Honesty and clarity of thought
- Self-sufficiency (autarkeia) in modest measure
- Kindness and non-harm
[1][3]
Hierarchy of basic ideals (not desires)
- A life that feels light, unafraid, and quietly joyful
- A small, resilient community bound by goodwill
- A modest material footprint aligned with “enough”
- Work that fits life, not life that serves work
- Reason-guided living that dissolves superstition and needless fear
- Aesthetic cultivation and gratitude for ordinary days
[1][2]
Likely character weaknesses or blind spots
- Over-avoidance: saying no to growthful discomfort; conflict-avoidant patterns. [3]
- Complacency: under-challenged goals; hedonic adaptation reduces savoring if variety is too low. [1]
- Rationalization: “tranquility” used to excuse procrastination or disengagement. [6]
- Boundary drift: comfort choices (food, media) can slip into numbing if not watched. [4]
Possible neurotic defense mechanisms (tendencies, not necessities)
- Sublimation: channeling desire into cooking, gardening, crafts, hosting. [1]
- Rationalization: justifying inaction as “serenity.” [6]
- Displacement: stress redirected into comfort eating or scrolling. [4]
- Denial/minimization: underestimating long-term risks for short-term ease. [3]
- Regression: retreating into familiar routines when overloaded. [2]
- Projection (less common): labeling others “uptight” to avoid rebalancing self. [7]
- Reaction formation (occasionally): moralizing “simplicity” as superiority. [3]
- Introjection/Identification with the aggressor: absorbing productivity norms then reframing them as “strategic rest” to cope with high-pressure environments. [6]
Possible trance states
- Mindful savoring (absorption during meals, music, nature); flow in crafts or cooking; soft-attention walks; meditative calm states; time dilation in relaxed socializing. [1]
Big Five personality dimensions (typical range)
- Neuroticism: low to low-moderate (cultivated calm)
- Extraversion: moderate (sociable in small groups, not thrill-seeking)
- Openness: moderate to high (aesthetic sensitivity, curiosity)
- Agreeableness: high (warmth, prosocial orientation)
- Conscientiousness: moderate to high (routines that guard well-being)
[1][6]
Main NLP meta-programs (per The Sourcebook of Magic—typical settings)
- Direction: Toward tranquility and Away-from avoidable pain (balanced). [1]
- Options vs Procedures: Options preference for flexible, low-stress solutions; some Procedures for health/finance routines. [6]
- Frame of reference: Internal (self-assessment of “what feels truly better”), with external checks (evidence, feedback). [3]
- Chunk size: Medium—global “enoughness” vision, then simple steps. [2]
- Time orientation: Present-focused savoring with future safeguarding (savings, sleep). [5]
- Proactive vs Reactive: Proactive about rest, friendship, boundaries; reactive minimized. [6]
- Matcher vs Mismatcher: Matcher (seeking harmony/fit); gentle mismatching when pruning desires. [1]
- Similarity/Difference: Sameness with exceptions (stable routines plus small novel joys). [7]
- Necessity/Possibility: Balanced; necessity for foundations (sleep/budget), possibility for play and art. [4]
- Convincer strategy: Repetition and firsthand experience (try-and-sense improvements). [3]
- Representational systems: Kinesthetic and visual-auditory savoring (taste, touch, soundscapes, vistas). [1]
In short, the modern Epicurean is a calm, friendship-centered minimalist and skilled savorer who uses prudence to secure simple, repeatable joys, guards attention and time, and treats virtue as the reliable path to a tranquil life. [1][6]
Sources
1 The Sourcebook of Magic by L. Michael Hall Ph.D. and Barbara Belnap M.S.W.
2 Personality Puzzle by Florence Littauer and Marita Littauer
3 Jungian Archetypes by Robin Robertson
4 Personality Plus Revised and Expanded Edition by Florence Littauer
5 Personality Plus by Florence Littauer
6 Presidential Temperament by Ray Choiniere and David Keirsey
7 The Enneagram and NLP by Anne Linden and Murray Spalding
In addition:
How does a modern follower of Epicureanism deal with the potentially harmful spread of modern technology?
A modern Epicurean takes the potentially harmful spread of modern technology seriously—technology can “enframe” nature, people, and attention as standing reserves—yet responds not with technophobia, but with prudence: choose tools only insofar as they reliably reduce pain and fear, safeguard time and health, and deepen friendship and simple joy. Everything else is noise to be calmly declined.
Core principles to counter technological domination
- Instrumental, not devotional, use of tech: Technology serves ataraxia (mental tranquility) and aponia (bodily ease); it is never a life’s purpose. If a tool raises anxiety, fragments attention, or weakens friendship, it fails the Epicurean test.
- Re-anchor in lived limits: Sleep, sunlight, movement, seasonal food, and embodied craft are treated as “natural law” in practice—nonnegotiable constraints that organize the day.
- De-abstract your life: Prefer direct encounters to intermediated ones—cook, repair, garden, walk, host—so fewer essential goods depend on algorithms, logistics chains, or screens.
- Friendship as hedge: Build small, dependable circles that share meals, mutual aid, and unhurried conversation; this is the surest protection against loneliness and market-driven mediation.
- Prudence with money, not panic: Ignore fear‑marketing and speculation. Favor an emergency fund, low-cost diversified savings, modest overhead, and spending caps that enshrine “enough.” Precious metals, if any, are a small, calm hedge—not a fear-driven bet.
Daily and weekly practices (pragmatic adaptations)
- Attention hygiene: Default notifications off; single‑tasking; scheduled “online windows”; one screen at a time; a weekly device‑free day to renew attention and relationships.
- Place-making and nature: Live a 20‑minute life (walkable essentials), cultivate a balcony box or garden, and take daily daylight walks; this restores proportion against abstract, always‑on systems.
- Embodied craft: Cook simple meals, keep basic tools, mend/repair; hands and senses reclaim reality from representational feeds.
- Information diet: Curate a few reliable sources, read slowly, and prefer local knowledge; avoid outrage cycles that monetize agitation.
- AI and apps with guardrails: Use them to remove drudgery, not to outsource value judgments, friendship, or identity; favor local storage, minimal data exhaust, and clear end‑times for use.
- Work design: Protect focus blocks, adopt clear stop‑times, and privilege asynchronous communication where possible; let work fit life, not life fit work.
- Civic habits: Support right‑to‑repair, parks, dark‑sky policies, humane tech norms in schools, and neighborhood commons that enable unmediated encounter.
Decision heuristics (quick filters)
- The Tranquility Test: Will this tool/routine measurably lower anxiety or pain over weeks, not minutes? If not, skip.
- The Friendship Test: Does it increase face‑to‑face time and trust with a few close people? If not, constrain it.
- The Body Test: Does it enhance sleep, movement, sunlight, or digestion? If not, it likely undermines “natural law” as lived.
- The Enoughness Line: Set hard caps on screen hours, work hours, discretionary spend, and notifications; excess beyond caps is quietly pruned.
Updated tetrapharmakos for a high-tech age
- Don’t fear gods: Drop techno‑superstitions and hype; prefer evidence over speculation.
- Don’t fear death: Invest attention in present relationships and ordinary joys; legacy is how well you loved and relieved fear.
- What is good is easy to get: Sunlight, sleep, simple food, movement, friendship—engineer your environment to make these default.
- What is terrible is tolerable: Build buffers—emergency fund, community reciprocity, basic skills—so disruptions don’t become disasters.
Red flags a modern Epicurean avoids
- Optimization as identity: If life begins to feel like a dashboard, reduce metrics until you can feel again.
- Algorithmic outrage and doom‑scrolling: Replace with scheduled, slow news and neighborly attention.
- Productivity worship: Protect unscheduled time for loafing, craft, and walks; tranquility is a primary value, not a byproduct of throughput.
- Financial panic cycles: Shun all‑in bets and fear campaigns; keep plans plain, liquid, and boring.
A sample day (human‑scaled, not anti‑tech)
- Morning light and movement before screens; a simple breakfast cooked at home.
- Two focused work blocks with a mid‑day walk or shared meal; notifications off by default.
- Device‑free dinner with a friend or family, brief review of the day, and early wind‑down for sleep.
Bottom line: A modern Epicurean doesn’t flee technology; they domesticate it—using prudence to keep tools within human scale, re‑learning natural rhythms, and prioritizing friendship and simple, renewable pleasures. That is how “natural law” is recovered in practice: not as abstract doctrine, but as lived limits that reliably yield a calm, humane life.
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