My Dear Epicurean Friends
It is with great pleasure that I inform you that last Friday (May 4, 2018) I delivered an oral presentation of about 2 hours (including discussion of about half an hour) with the title: "The confirmation of Epicurean Gnosiology (Canon) and Epicurean Ethics by contemporary Neurobiology" at Pythagorion, in the Greek island of Samos. I was invited to present two talks at the Festival of Heraia-Pythagoreia (12th year of cultural celebration in remembrance of the temple of goddess Hera and philosopher Pythagoras). My second presentation was titled "Plague of Athens: A historical, medical and philosophical approach" in which I also presented the link between Thucydides, Epicurus, Lucretius, modern epidemiology and my ancient DNA studies of skeletal material from the ancient epidemic victims.
As you know our beloved master Epicurus was raised by Athenian parents in Samos, and believe it or not this was the first comprehensive presentation of Epicurean philosophy in Samos in the modern era. This was a historic event and I am sharing with you some photos of the event (the audience of about 70 people, myself, the poster advertising my talks and a part of ancient Samos (where Epicurus probably walked in his early years as a child and a teenager) in the town known today as Pythagorion.