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Panhellenic Symposium of Epicurean Philosophy
Greetings of the Athens Garden

Dear friends, ladies and gentlemen, Mayor and Aldermen, representatives of collectives, on behalf of the Friends of Epicurean philosophy, ATHENS KYPOS, and this honor is great, I welcome you to the 7th National Symposium of Epicurean philosophy here in the birthplace of the philosopher Epicurus in ancient Gargittos. Welcome all who traveled from every corner of Greece, our speakers and our artists.
We thank the Municipality of Pallini and Mayor Athanasios Zoutso for his full support for the realization of the symposium. Thanks to the director of utilities of Pallini, Carla Santos and all the staff for their excellent cooperation over the years. We thank all those friends that offered to support our speakers and writers of the wall, communications and all of you that your presence has given strength and life to this conference.
In a time of great social and economic upheaval, personal difficulties and insecurity, we in modern gardens strive to showcase the Epicurean philosophy in a way that will lead us to the attainment of bliss both individually and collectively.
Since ancient times it was discussed whether philosophy is useful or not. The definite answer was given later, in the Middle Ages when philosophy ceased to exist, as it developed in the ancient period. Man for over a thousand years lost the circumstances that made him, if he so desired, achieve eudemonia, and life during those times experienced such a setback, that eventually bright minds turned to the past and sought a way to philosophical texts, art, and more generally to Greek culture, a move that ultimately led to the renaissance and enlightenment.
Here in our country, where philosophy was born and flourished, we had the misfortune to not experience the Renaissance and the enlightenment. When the whole of Europe and later America were studying and analyzing passionately the Greek texts and within this Epicurus, they found solutions for improving the quality of life with amazing results, we here had conditions that did not favor this and we never prospered as others. This is for me the cause and source of the biggest evils we are experiencing today. But today there is a decline in global issues that touch the humanitarian approach to the right to achieve happiness by all.
So we the friends Epicurean philosophy, strive in our time to study, to analyze and to spread the Epicurean philosophy, so to have the same knowledge of a life that is eligible to become blissful, and to strengthen an effort for the rebirth of philosophical thought as a proposal for society and globally. Because let’s not forget that the purpose of the state and its structures is ultimately the happiness of its citizens. Otherwise it is empty discourse both political and philosophical. Let us not forget that from the results we are judged, all of us.
In this effort, I think that our Symposium offers a good basis for the production of modern philosophical thought, it is the largest Epicurean philosophy Conference organized not only in Greece but worldwide. The minutes issued each year and the posted videos offer the potential to access the work arising here from all over the world. (we are making efforts to translate to English the texts and subtitle some of the videos).
So we give power back to philosophy as we see today how it affected the past around the world to influence civilization and can nowadays offer the basis for a practical solution to current social and economic impasses while certainly being our shield to personally experiencing the most sensual joy of our life, being free and happy.

Much success to the work of the Symposium

www.epicuros.gr - February 2017