Aristippus of Cyrene, Pleasure and the Present

Georgia Mouroutsou (The King's University College)

This paper presents material from my Element in Ancient Philosophy (forthcoming with Cambridge University Press) on Aristippus of Cyrene: Pleasure and the Present. The study offers a new historical reconstruction of Aristippus the Elder’s views on pleasure and the present. Rather than treating Aristippus as a merely proto-Cyrenaic figure or projecting anachronistically modern ideas onto him, the analysis uncovers in the ancient sources a neglected form of hedonism that endorses a present-focused therapeutic policy, while exploring its underlying motivations. Aristippan hedonism promotes a moment-to-moment attitude to pleasure rather than its maximization through future calculation, articulating a eudaemonistic approach centered on the present. While distinguishing Aristippus from later Cyrenaics on the role of hedonic calculation, the study also highlights continuities with his followers in the cognitive elements in both the concept and the experience of pleasure, thereby challenging the common portrayal of Aristippus as a sensualist. Once the historical groundwork is in place, the paper introduces the hypothesis of the plasticity of the present, which moves beyond historical interpretation to offer an ethical-psychological account of sustained attention to present time. Though not examined in detail, the study provides a specific case of how ancient philosophical reconstruction can inform—and be informed by—contemporary philosophical inquiry (with potential relevance to clinical psychology, though that lies beyond the scope of this paper). It may be of particular interest to colleagues working across both historical and systematic philosophy, making it especially fitting for our reflection and discussion.