What kind of philosopher was Lucretius?
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.
Who discovered Lucretius De Rerum Natura?
One of Poggio’s manuscript finds that has become especially famous is Lucretius’s De rerum natura. In January 1417, in a German monastery (never named by Poggio, but probably Fulda), Poggio discovered the only manuscript of Lucretius’s De rerum natura known at the time.
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.
Why was Lucretius important?
Lucretius was the first writer known to introduce Roman readers to Epicurean philosophy. The poem, written in some 7,400 dactylic hexameters, is divided into six untitled books, and explores Epicurean physics through richly poetic language and metaphors.
What do we learn about Lucretius from his poem?
Lucretius shows us the existence of invisible particles via the visible reality of the world around us, bombarding his reader with arguments and examples, to bring us what he believes is the truth of the universe and the key to contentment.
What did Lucretius call atoms?
assemblies
When 19th-century physicists talked about large sets of atoms, some called them “assemblies.” That was pure Lucretius. He used the Latin word for the Greek citizens’ assembly when he talked about aggregate atomic behavior.
What is Lucretius metaphysical theory?
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.
Where is Lucretius from?
Rome
Less specific estimates place the birth of Lucretius in the 90s BC and his death in the 50s BC, in agreement with the poem’s many allusions to the tumultuous state of political affairs in Rome and its civil strife.
What did Erasmus Darwin believe?
Erasmus Darwin was a respected physician, a well known poet, philosopher, botanist, and naturalist. As a naturalist, he formulated one of the first formal theories on evolution in Zoonomia, or, The Laws of Organic Life (1794-1796).
Does Lucretius believe in gods?
Lucretius. Lucretius did not deny the existence of gods either, but he felt that human ideas about gods combined with the fear of death to make human beings unhappy.
Was Lucretius Greek or Roman?
Lucretius (Titus Lucretius Carus) was a Roman poet and the author of the philosophical epic De Rerum Natura (On the Nature of the Universe), a comprehensive exposition of the Epicurean world-view. Very little is known of the poet’s life, though a sense of his character and personality emerges vividly from his poem.
Why was Erasmus Darwin so controversial?
Friends and patients welcomed his sympathetic benevolence, but critics accused Darwin of forcefully imposing his views and of encouraging religious skepticism. His work initially enjoyed great success but fell out of favour because of his unorthodox views on evolution and the ornate didacticism of his poetry.
What did Erasmus Darwin contribute to the Enlightenment?
From Enlightenment Revolution After his study at Cambridge University, Erasmus Darwin practiced medicine at Lichfield and Derby. Darwin’s main work is Zoonomia or the Laws of Life (2 vols., 1794-96), in which he opposed the view that every new individual is already fully formed in the reproductive cell.
Who is Lucretius in De rerum natura?
Very little is known about Lucretius’s life; the only certainty is that he was either a friend or client of Gaius Memmius, to whom the poem was addressed and dedicated. De rerum natura was a considerable influence on the Augustan poets, particularly Virgil (in his Aeneid and Georgics, and to a lesser extent on the Eclogues) and Horace.
What are the main ideas 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 are the best books about Lucretius in Latin?
Hutchinson, Lucy (b. 1620 d. 1681) De Rerum Natura. Lucretius. De rerum natura. (3 vols. Latin text Books I-VI. Comprehensive commentary by Cyril Bailey), Oxford University Press 1947. T. Lucreti Cari De rerum natura (1963). Edidit Joseph Martin (Bibliotheca scriptorvm Graecorvm et Romanorvm Tevbneriana). Lucretius (1971).
What did Lucretius say about the Earth?
Despite his advocacy of empiricism and his many correct conjectures about atomism and the nature of the physical world, Lucretius concludes his first book stressing the absurdity of the (by then well-established) spherical Earth theory.