The Epicurean theory essentially includes the thought that we, as human beings, have a natural instinct to seek pleasure and avoid pain and that this instinct in and of itself is what ultimately end will lead us to achieve happiness and happiness. the 'good life'. Pleasure is considered a feeling of satisfaction, joy, and general contentment with a particular situation or state of being. While pain is the exact opposite, being a feeling of immense physical or mental discomfort/anguish. Epicurus states that pleasure is "the starting point and goal of a happy life" which could be interpreted as pleasure being both the means and the end of life. live a happy life. He believes that to achieve the goal of happiness, we must first understand that pleasure is the underlying cause of happiness. One interpretation of the phrase "starting point" would be that when we are born into the world, when we are without literacy and experience, our initial desire is to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Epicurus says that we use “the feeling of pleasure as our criterion” (PHIL132 Unit Reader, p3) when choosing between two particular actions or possible circumstances. Although Epicurus claims that pleasure is the path to happiness and the good life, he does not believe that all pleasures are good pleasures and that there is a clear difference between pleasure and indulgence. A point he makes in the 'Letter to Menoeceus' is that "there are times when we give up certain pleasures, particularly when they are followed by too many unpleasantnesses" (PHIL132 Unit Reader, p3). An example of this is the consumption of alcoholic beverages; when you drink excessive amounts of alcohol you may experience short term pleasure, however the next day usually the result... is half a paper......you are not participating in something productive, but it can provide mental relief relaxation that might be useful for someone with problems balancing different segments of their life, although it does not fit the "simple life" criterion that Epicurus deems optimal. Epicurus provides some great ideas about what constitutes happiness and "good" life' that can be applied to many aspects of life, however I believe that some aspects need to be further contemplated to find a more foolproof theory. The idea that one can only experience pleasure in the absence of pain seems to be very black and white and does not seem to understand the complexities of modern society. Basically, the pursuit of certain pleasures and the minimization of pain would likely lead to happiness, however a slight dosage of the opposite could also contribute to happiness and the good life.’.