Ataraxism is a syncretic philosophy of life that seeks to promote well-being by helping individuals to cultivate their capacity for rational thought, psychological resilience, and unconditional compassion for all sentient beings. We strive to alleviate involuntary suffering and build a just society rooted in these ideals.
Ataraxism integrates ethical and practical teachings from various philosophical schools of thought—chiefly Stoicism, Epicureanism, and Buddhism. Ataraxism draws from these traditions, and others, including modern cognitive psychotherapy, to recommend a set of practices and commitments for reducing suffering. Our aim isn’t necessarily to create a synthesis that resolves differences between these philosophies, but rather to distill what is helpful and wise from each tradition—and to integrate these teachings into an adaptive philosophy of life.
With regard to our prescriptive ethical framework, Ataraxism primarily draws from W.D. Ross’s pluralistic deontology, and incorporates a sentiocentric emphasis on reducing intense involuntary suffering.
The name “Ataraxism” reflects our ultimate goal: ataraxia (a = without; tarachē = disturbance, agitation, trouble). We use the term in two senses: ataraxia, in the narrow or individual sense, refers to a state of tranquility or freedom from intense psychological suffering, while ataraxia, in the broader sense, refers to our most ambitious long-term aim: liberating all sentient beings from intense involuntary suffering.
We promote ataraxia in the individual sense through a multi-faceted approach to mental wellness. Chief among these are: practicing mindfulness, disputing irrational or self-defeating ways of thinking, and embracing the Ataraxist philosophy of life—or any helpful and rational philosophy of life.
For more information the Ataraxist life philosophy, see our core principles page, our ethics page, our practical philosophy page, and our FAQ.
In regards to universal liberation from intense involuntary suffering, medical science does not currently offer any ideal solutions to the problem of suffering, however, progress in this field may soon give us much better solutions, such as those discussed by the philosopher David Pearce (e.g., genetic therapy, “wireheading” (neurotech), designer drugs, environmental engineering, etc.). Pearce is responsible for laying many of the foundations for modern suffering abolitionism, including the idea of systematically combining these approaches in pursuit of a universe without suffering (see https://www.hedweb.com/; https://www.hedweb.com/abolitionist-project/index.html).
Ataraxism is in agreement with Pearce’s suffering abolitionist project, and other similar movements to alleviate intense involuntary suffering (see our links page). We will mostly defer to these movements on the matter of suffering abolitionism (what we call general ataraxia). In contrast to these groups, our focus is on community building, ethical / practical guidance, and mental wellness.
For more information the Ataraxist life philosophy, see our core principles page, our ethics page, our practical philosophy page, and our FAQ.