Editing Epicureanism (section)

===Middle Ages and Renaissance===
In [[Dante Alighieri]]'s ''[[Divine Comedy]]'', the Epicureans are depicted as [[Heresy|heretics]] suffering in the [[Inferno (Dante)#Sixth Circle|sixth circle of hell]]. In fact, Epicurus appears to represent the ultimate heresy.<ref>Trans. Robert Pinsky, The Inferno of Dante, p. 320 n. 11.</ref>

[[Francis Bacon]] wrote an [[wiktionary:apothegm|apothegm]] related to Epicureanism:

<blockquote>There was an Epicurean vaunted, that divers of other sects of philosophers did after turn Epicureans, but there was never any Epicurean that turned to any other sect. Whereupon a philosopher that was of another sect, said; The reason was plain, for that cocks may be made [[capon]]s, but capons could never be made cocks.<ref>Francis Bacon, Apothegms 280, [[wikisource:The Works of Francis Bacon, Volume 1/Apophthegms|The Works of Francis Bacon, Volume 1/Apophthegms]]</ref>  </blockquote>

This echoed what the [[Academic skepticism|Academic skeptic]] philosopher [[Arcesilaus]] had said when asked "why it was that pupils from all the other schools went over to Epicurus, but converts were never made from the Epicureans?" to which he responded: "Because men may become [[eunuch]]s, but a eunuch never becomes a man."<ref>[[Diogenes Laertius]], ''[[Lives of the Eminent Philosophers]]'' Book IV, Chapter 6, section 45 http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0258%3Abook%3D4%3Achapter%3D6</ref>