In Response to Zoe Loversky's "Epicureanism v. Stoicism"

My computer is not letting me post comments the regular way, so for the time being I am posting my comments as separate posts.

I found your post really interesting and especially enjoyed the point you made in the last sentence of your second paragraph. You said that "sometimes you must suffer in order to reach a higher level of contentment." I completely agree with this statement. However, I believe that an Epicurean would likely accept this statement as truth as well. Epicureans seek the maximization of pleasure in both the short term and the long term. As a result, I believe that they would be willing to accept small doses of suffering in the short run in order to achieve larger amounts of pleasure in the future, and that they could do this without contradicting their philosophy.