Christos Yapijakis is an Assistant Professor of Biology-Neurogenetics at the School of Medicine of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and Director of Cephalogenetics Center. His area of research and expertise is genetic diagnosis of inherited neurological diseases and syndromes of the head. He is a founding member of the Friends of Epicurean Philosophy “Garden of Athens”. He has published two philosophical books as a single author, and has edited the Proceedings of seven Panhellenic Symposia of Epicurean Philosophy. He is the author of the Declaration of the right of happiness in the European Union (eudaimonia.eu).

“The Epicurean philosophy, the biological psychology and the pursuit of happiness”

Abstract

In 2012, the United Nations decided to recognize that the pursuit of happiness is a fundamental human goal and right, designating the 20th of March of every year as International day of Happiness. For the first time in the modern era, the right of the pursuit of happiness was included among basic human rights in 1776 by the author of the American Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson, who was influenced by the Epicurean philosophy. Epicurus taught that happiness corresponds to absence of mental and physical pain and may be attained though observation of nature, prudence, free will, virtue and friendship. Modern discoveries of biological psychology and neurobiology confirm the gnosiology and ethics of Epicurus.

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