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Articles

The Ultimate Tranquilizer

Maria Karvouni introduces an Epicurean state of mind.

In the fast-paced environments in which we live and work, more and more people need the help of a psychologist, a psychiatrist, or drugs to effectively face the challenges of society. But for those who want to avoid seeing a doctor or taking pills for their stress, there is something else that could be the best solution to this core mental health issue of modern humanity. It is not a medicine; it is a state of mind.

Ataraxia was a word used by the Greek philosopher Pyrrho to refer to a state of robust equanimity characterized by a freedom from worry. The Pyrrhonian Sceptic Sextus Empiricus defined it thus: “ataraxia is an untroubled and tranquil condition of the soul.

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