There are four major schools of philosophy that were developed and existed in the Hellenistic world. This essay will focus on four major Hellenistic philosophies and how they relate to happiness. Pythagoreanism. This is a school of thought was developed by Pythagoras and based on mathematics asserting that numbers represent the definite philosophical truth (Erskine, Llewellyn-Jones, & Carney, 2011). The Pythagoreans theories were based on the transmigration of souls, the true nature of numbers and did purification rites and came up with living guidelines that would provide a higher rank among gods. Platonism. This is a school of thought developed by Plato’s followers and based on the theory of forms. Platonism's’ principal ideal was based …show more content…
This school of thought got its name after Epicurus, who took on an Atomist perception of Democritus. The view stated that happiness is attained via pleasure. His philosophy regarded the universe as being administrated by chance, with no interference from gods (Hellenistic philosophy, 2010). Stoicism. This school of thought was the most famous and with the largest number of followers (Erskine, Llewellyn-Jones, & Carney, 2011). Its philosophy contrasted Epicureanism and stated that universe is ruled by a fatalistic over-arching law which states happiness is achieved by a person when one resigns to his/her fate. It promoted living life in a harmonious bond with reason, nature or God nature and emphasized on self-control (Levy, 2009). Among the theories, the school of thought that is most appealing is Stoicism and this probably explains why it was the most famous of all them. According to Stoicism, happiness or the lack of it thereof is measured in terms of the extent to which a person feels contented with who you are and what you have. The expectation, ambitions, admirations, makes people fight too hard in their lives in search of happiness through all means to change their fate. The ideology places happiness in the present life as opposed to Epicureanism that based happiness to pleasure. Chance and gods govern a pleasure according to the Epicureanism thought. Stoicism on the hand puts happiness within a person’s reach; one can either take it and be happy or leave