Epicurus

About Epicurus

Epicurus, active in the late 4th and early 3rd centuries BCE, was a pivotal Greek philosopher who founded the philosophical school known as Epicureanism. His primary contribution centered on ethics, proposing that the highest good is to seek modest, sustainable pleasure and freedom from fear (ataraxia) and the absence of bodily pain (aponia). This school of thought, often misunderstood as advocating pure hedonism, actually promoted a simple life characterized by friendship, knowledge, and self-sufficiency, securing his place as the 283rd most influential figure in history according to MIT's Pantheon project.

In the modern digital landscape of 2025, Epicurus garners approximately 360,000 annualized Wikipedia views. This level of attention places him at an 'Attention Gap' of approximately 1x, suggesting his online visibility broadly aligns with his deep historical importance. However, when contrasted with contemporary philosophical peers, the gap becomes more interesting: Søren Kierkegaard (#475 importance) receives over twice his views at 741K, while Swami Vivekananda (#734 importance) draws 1.2M views. On the other hand, more historically important figures from his own era, like Nebuchadnezzar II (#386 importance), attract fewer views at 826K views, suggesting ancient figures generally hold a more stable, if not surging, level of interest.

Data for 2025 does indicate a slight deceleration in immediate interest, with a year-over-year change of -9.5% in Wikipedia views and a -6% drop in momentum between Q1 and Q3, suggesting a slow, gradual fade from the current digital spotlight.