EPICUR’S UNDERSTANDING OF DEATH, GOD AND POLITICS
Epicur investigates the conditions of an happy life. Being happy consists of meeting the natural and necessary needs such as eating, sleeping and being protected from cold. Happiness (eudaimonia) is the lack of suffer (autarkeia) in the physical sense, and serenity (ataraksia) in the psychcological sense. He regards the ambitions devoted to gain wealth, fame or reputation as the causes of unhappiness. He represents the existence of death as the first cause of the unhappiness of people, and the fear of god as the second. Unlike the common belief, Epicur admits the existence of God. But the fears of God and death arise from the assumptions created by people themselves. These restless and unhappy people are lack of the ability of sound reasoning. According to Epicur's evolutionistic conception of history people live as contractional societies. These contracts are based on the principle of not-giving harm to each other as a result of security need.

Keywords
Epicur, Happiness, Death, God, Politics.