What was the philosophy of Lucretius?
Lucretius presents the principles of atomism, the nature of the mind and soul, explanations of sensation and thought, the development of the world and its phenomena, and explains a variety of celestial and terrestrial phenomena.
What did Lucretius contribute to the atomic theory?
But it is clear, in all his work, that Lucretius conceived two things as quite constant: atoms were neither created nor destroyed, and their motion could neither be created nor destroyed. He believed that each atom kept its velocity unaltered.
What was Lucretius known for?
Lucretius, in full Titus Lucretius Carus, (flourished 1st century bce), Latin poet and philosopher known for his single, long poem, De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things). The poem is the fullest extant statement of the physical theory of the Greek philosopher Epicurus.
What is Lucretius known for?
What argument does Lucretius give for why nothing can be destroyed?
He proves the principle that he regards as its companion piece, nothing can ever be destroyed totally into nothing, in a similar way: if nature permitted total annihilation, any given thing could be wiped away to nothing instantly, with the merest touch required to destroy it; that not being the case, instead it must …
What is Lucretius best known for?
His only known work is the philosophical poem De rerum natura, a didactic work about the tenets and philosophy of Epicureanism, and which usually is translated into English as On the Nature of Things. Lucretius has been credited with originating the concept of the three-age system that was formalised in 1836 by C. J. Thomsen .
What is Lucretius’natural philosophy?
Prior to Charles Darwin ‘s 1859 publication of The Origin of the Species, the natural philosophy of Lucretius typified one of the foremost non- teleological and mechanistic accounts of the creation and evolution of life.
How did Lucretius influence Epicureanism?
Epicurus founded his system in the late 4th and early 3rd century BCE, and it became one of the most influential of the Hellenistic age. Lucretius lived in Italy in a period when Epicureanism flourished there, especially in the area of the Bay of Naples, where a major Epicurean circle had formed around Philodemus.
What is the purpose of Lucretius poem?
Lucretius skillfully conveys the most important aspects of Epicurean science and philosophy in a work of rhyming poetry. His poem is an exposition of the wonders of the natural world, a dive into the human psyche and a critique of religion and superstition that would have been dangerous in ancient Rome.