Lucretius
The first century BCE found Titus Lucretius Carus setting down Epicurean philosophy in an extended, if not quite epic, Latin poem titled De Rerum Natura (The Nature of Things). With the subsequent rise of Christianity, Epicurus was given a bad reputation as an atheist associated much more with Bacchanalia than the temperance he actually advocated and practiced. Lucretius’ poem was lost for many centuries, but when it was rediscovered, it profoundly influenced the Renaissance in Italy and England.
One of the most dangerous aspects of the philosophy for early modern readers was the insistence on an absolutely material world in which all things are made of atoms and void. Indeed, the first two books outline why this is the only possible explanation for the phenomena of the world. Book three goes on to justify the mortality of the soul, denying the possibility of an afterlife, and arguing that people have no reason to fear death, because they simply won’t care that they’re dead once they’re dead. Using the sacrifice of Iphigenia from the story of Troy, Lucretius demonstrated the danger of religious belief and superstition that stems from a fear of death.
By locating the world in matter and denying the presence of interested gods, Lucretius attempted to free humanity through Epicurean philosophy that he sweetened with his poetic form. His description of the clinamen, or swerve, gave people a freewill that was grounded in the material world rather than in the whim of a god. Understandably, the text was controversial in the early modern period, but the assertions about matter were increasingly held to be accurate as the scientific revolution advanced.
One of the most dangerous aspects of the philosophy for early modern readers was the insistence on an absolutely material world in which all things are made of atoms and void. Indeed, the first two books outline why this is the only possible explanation for the phenomena of the world. Book three goes on to justify the mortality of the soul, denying the possibility of an afterlife, and arguing that people have no reason to fear death, because they simply won’t care that they’re dead once they’re dead. Using the sacrifice of Iphigenia from the story of Troy, Lucretius demonstrated the danger of religious belief and superstition that stems from a fear of death.
By locating the world in matter and denying the presence of interested gods, Lucretius attempted to free humanity through Epicurean philosophy that he sweetened with his poetic form. His description of the clinamen, or swerve, gave people a freewill that was grounded in the material world rather than in the whim of a god. Understandably, the text was controversial in the early modern period, but the assertions about matter were increasingly held to be accurate as the scientific revolution advanced.
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