Thinking and discerning

Author: Wang Yubei
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-01-01
Features: The wisdom of ancient Greece is scattered throughout the vast body of literature. Over the past decade, more than 2,000 entries have been collected, and over 100 of the most important ones are now compiled. These entries, in terms of form, are either single sentences, dialogues, or paragraphs; in terms of content, they are proverbs, witty couplets, and stories that reflect certain philosophies. The wisdom of ancient Greece is profound and extensive. To make it accessible to both the learned and the general public, the editor has provided two types of annotations: written and illustrated. The written annotations neither adopt the approach of "annotating the Six Classics with my notes" nor "annotating my notes with the Six Classics," but rather "the Six Classics contain me, and I am contained within the Six Classics." The purpose is to make the original text and annotations complement and enhance each other. The choice of text paired with the corresponding illustration is extremely important. A perfect combination of text and illustration should be mutually supportive. Therefore, Erqiao has adopted single-panel cartoons, pairing each segment of the original text and annotations with an illustration. To give the illustrations an ancient yet light and lively charm, Erqiao has drawn inspiration from the depictions of sages in ancient Greek pottery, adding some meaningless "foreign text"—Latin mixed with Greek letters—to the illustrations. This is done, on the one hand, to meet the needs of composition, and on the other, to make the illustrations more international. These illustrations are the result of Erqiao's meticulous work, both in content and form, and are truly "unique and fresh." Whether it is the written annotations or the illustrated annotations, they are all intended to spread wisdom to the hearts of more people, to make reading enjoyable and beneficial.
How can an individual achieve happiness? This eternal question has various answers. The Cynics and Cyrenaics regarded happiness as individual subjective freedom and independence. However, the Cynics defined happiness as suppressing desires and limiting needs to the smallest extent possible, while the Cyrenaics defined happiness as individual pleasure, viewing the pursuit of pleasurable sensations as humanity's greatest good. The Epicureans believed that a happy life is our innate highest good, and pleasure is the beginning and purpose of a happy life. The ultimate goal of pleasure, for them, is the absence of physical pain and mental disturbance. The Stoics, on the other hand, believed that each of our natures is a part of the nature of the entire universe. Therefore, happiness can be defined as living in accordance with each individual's nature as well as the nature of the universe.