Cyrenaic

Cyrenaic is a philosophical school that originated in Cyrene, a Greek colony in North Africa, in the 4th century BCE. It is considered a minor Socratic philosophy, meaning it derived its core tenets from the teachings of Socrates. The most prominent figure associated with the school was Aristippus of Cyrene, a student of Socrates.

The central doctrine of Cyrenaic philosophy is hedonism, specifically advocating for the pursuit of immediate physical pleasure as the highest good. Cyrenaics believed that pleasure is the only intrinsic good and that pain is the only intrinsic evil. However, their focus was on intense, present pleasures rather than long-term, more subdued ones. They emphasized the importance of savoring each moment and maximizing sensory experiences.

Cyrenaics distinguished between kinetic pleasures, which are active and involve the process of satisfying a desire, and katastematic pleasures, which are static and result from the absence of pain. They favored kinetic pleasures, considering them more valuable. They also believed that while reason could guide the pursuit of pleasure, the ultimate goal was the experience of pleasure itself, not an intellectual understanding of it.

The school's influence waned over time, but its emphasis on pleasure and sensory experience had a lasting impact on subsequent Hellenistic philosophies, particularly Epicureanism, though the two schools differed significantly in their approach to pleasure and the role of reason.