Humans often have preconceived notions or fears about the abstract idea of ​​death. Two Hellenistic philosophers, Epicurus and Epictetus, take very different approaches to demonstrate that death is insignificant and nothing to worry about. Epicurus claims that death is the unambiguous end of our existence, and Epictetus claims that it is something over which we have no control. Both examine the nature of death in an attempt to achieve ataraxia or a tranquil state of mind. However, Epicurus and Epictetus fail to address the true emotional nature of death and its impact on the human psyche. Accepting these philosophies requires an innate selfishness that cannot possibly lead to the achievement of a peaceful and essentially good life. Epicurus holds that all good and bad things arise from a sensation of pleasure or pain. He advocated the absence of pain and the achievement of a happy and peaceful life. Achieving this state of mind includes expelling the fear of death, which he attempted to refute philosophically. According to Epicurus “death is nothing to us. Because that which has been dissolved has no sense experience, and that which has no sense experience is nothing to us. (32) He states that death robs us of our senses, so we cannot fear it, because we do not exist at all. This also states that we fear the anticipation of death rather than death itself. When we are dead we are not afraid, because it is a state of unconsciousness and the end of all sensation, so there is no pleasure or pain. Explain that we fear death because we mistakenly assume that there is awareness during death. Epicurus explains logically: “For when we exist, death is not yet present, and when death is present, then we do not exist” (29). When addressing a sen...... middle of paper ......dressed when mentioning the nature of death. If sacrificing one's morals and intrinsic nature is Epicurus and Epictetus's way to achieve ataraxia, it is not worth it, nor is it possible. Ataraxia is a state of tranquility or happiness, something that cannot exist without others. If we want to have this emotion it implies that we must feel, which is something that depends on others. These emotions and connections are what make us human and happiness can exist even alongside the fear of death. We need other human beings to stop us from fixating on this mysterious phenomenon that has yet to be fully understood. Works Cited Inwood, Brad and Lloyd P. Gerson. The reader of Epicurus: selected writings and testimonies. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1994. Print.White, Nicholas P.. Handbook of Epictetus. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Pub. Co., 1983. Print.