On the Nature of Things (World Philosophers and Their Works)
At a glance:
- Author: Lucretius
- First Published: 60
- Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, Poetry
- Subjects: Philosophy or philosophers, Nature, Science or scientists, Greek or Roman times, Naturalists, Natural history
Context
Lucretius’s On the Nature of Things, which many consider to be the greatest didactic poem in any language, is an exposition of the philosophy of Epicurus. No divergence of doctrine, however minute, is to be found between Lucretius and his master.
After an invocation to Venus, symbolic of the loveliness, fruitfulness, and peace of nature, Lucretius eulogizes Epicurus as the deliverer of humankind from the superstitious terrors of religion:
When human life lay foul before the eyes, crushed on the earth beneath heavy religion, who showed her face...
[The entire page is 4126 words long]
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