#57 Lucretius “On The Nature Of Things”

Let’s get deep into some Lucretius, the Roman Epicurean philosopher poet. Today I want to read from “On the Nature of Things”. * As our Alexander listeners will know, Epicurus was an ancient Greek philosopher * 341–270 BCE * established his own school, known as “the Garden”, in Athens around 300 BCE * In the period after Alexander died * Epicurus and his followers were known for eating simple meals and discussing a wide range of philosophical subjects, and he openly allowed women to join the school as a matter of policy. * An extremely prolific writer, he is said to have originally written over 300 works on various subjects, but the vast majority of these writings have been lost. * Only three letters written by him and two collections of quotes have survived intact, along with a few fragments and quotations of his other writings. * Most knowledge of his teachings comes from later authors, particularly the Roman poet Lucretius, the biographer Diogenes Laërtius, Dickero, and the philosophers Philodemus and Sextus Empiricus. * For Epicurus, the purpose of philosophy was to attain the happy, tranquil life, characterized by ataraxia—peace and freedom from fear— and aponia—the absence of pain— and by living a self-sufficient life surrounded by friends. * He taught that the root of all human neurosis is death denial, and the tendency for human beings to assume that death will be horrific and painful, which he claimed causes unnecessary anxiety, selfish self-protective behaviors, and hypocrisy. * According to Epicurus, death is the end of both the body and the soul and therefore should not be feared. * Likewise, Epicurus taught that the gods, though they do exist, have no involvement in human affairs and do not punish or reward people for their actions. * Like Aristotle, Epicurus was an empiricist, meaning he believed that the senses are the only reliable source of knowledge about the world. * He derived much of his physics and cosmology from the earlier philosopher Democritus (c. * 460–c.370 BC). * Like Democritus, (c. 460 – c. 370 BC), Epicurus taught that the universe is infinite and eternal and that all matter is made up of extremely tiny, invisible particles known as atoms. * All occurrences in the natural world are ultimately the result of atoms moving and interacting in empty space. * Epicurus deviated from Democritus in his teaching of atomic “swerve”, which holds that atoms may deviate from their expected course, thus permitting humans to possess free will in an otherwise deterministic universe. * Epicureanism reached the height of its popularity during the late years of the Roman Republic, before declining as the rival school of Stoicism grew in popularity at its expense. * It finally died out in late antiquity in the wake of early Christianity. * Epicurus himself was popularly, though inaccurately, remembered throughout the Middle Ages as a patron of drunkards, whoremongers, and gluttons. * Democritus himself was supposedly a student of Leucippus (5th cent. BCE) who was the earliest Greek to develop the theory of atomism * Although there’s some doubt as to whether or not Leucippus actually existed * So – Lucretius didn’t invent atomism * But he articulated it beautifully in poetry * And I want to read some of it * * He starts off the book with a fairly traditional ode to the goddess Venus: * Mother of Aeneas’ sons, joy of men and gods, * nourishing Venus, who beneath the stars * that glide across the sky, crams full of life * ship-bearing seas and fruitful lands—through you * are conceived all families of living things * which rise up to gaze upon the splendour * of sunlight, and when you approach, goddess, * winds and sky clouds scurry off; for your sake,