a philosopher named Hegesias accepted the hedonism and skeptical epistemology of Aristippus the Younger. But like an obscure Greek version of Schopenhauer, Hegesias taught that we cannot expect life to be more pleasant than painful. The best we can do is to avoid pain as much as possible. This crushingly pessimistic outlook won Hegesias the memorable nickname “death-persuader.” This was a philosopher who could literally drive you to suicide.
