User:Openman/Hegasias of Alexandria

Hegasias of Alexandria is sometimes called the philosopher of suicide. His ideas were related to the epicureans. He said that the purpose of life was to be happy by pursuing pleasure and avoiding pain, but unlike the epicureans he viewed this as an impossible goal. Thus suicide was the wisest course of action.

He ran into trouble with local governmental authorities after many of his pupils actually did kill themselves.

His view that the pleasures of life were exceeded by lifes pains and that it would have been better never to have existed was similar to that of Schopenhauers.