Table of Contents
“The Nature of Things” by Lucretius is an epic masterpiece of philosophical poetry, exploring the vast expanse of Epicurean philosophy against the backdrop of a universe in constant motion. It unfolds the principles of atomism, the infinity of the universe, the nature of the mind and soul, and human perception, as well as the role of natural phenomena and the fear of death.
In this work, Lucretius envisions the universe as composed of invisible and indestructible particles, atoms, moving eternally in an infinite void. Everything that exists – the stars, earth, oceans, and all life – are merely different arrangements of these atoms. Change, growth, and decay are nothing more than the movement and rearrangement of atoms, a beautiful dance of creation and destruction.
Lucretius turns his attention to the soul and mind, arguing they too are made of finer atoms and are mortal. This argument forms the basis for his discourse on the fear of death. In essence, he asserts that death should not be feared, for when we die, our atoms merely disperse and return to the universe. As death means the end of sensation and consciousness, it is nothing to be afraid of.
Throughout the text, Lucretius employs a poetic discourse of the natural world and its phenomena. Earthquakes, storms, seasons – all are explained by the movement and interaction of atoms. He encourages a view of the world based on rational understanding and free of superstition.
“The Nature of Things” is ultimately a powerful and lyrical exploration of the universe, human nature, and the physical world. In shedding light on the laws of the cosmos, Lucretius celebrates the beauty of existence and provides a rational and serene response to life’s fears and anxieties. It is a celebration of human curiosity and the desire for knowledge, providing a thoughtful perspective on the nature of life, death, and our place within the infinite dance of atoms that is the universe.
Practical Philosophy
Epicurus despised philosophers who did not try to cure human suffering. Just as medicine is of no use if fails to banish disease, so philosophy is of no use if it does not banish suffering. He would have condemned modest of the modern philosophers and scientists.
Hedonism and Egoism
The Epicureans have been criticized for their hedonism and egoism, but their philosophy of pleasure is closer to asceticism than self-indulgence. Epicurus did not think that increasing one’s means would make them rich but diminishing their desires would.
And what about egoism? It is true that individuals should try to obtain as much pleasure as they can, but although virtue is the means to the end, which is pleasure, it is impossible to have true pleasure without virtue and friendship. In Epicurean ethics, there is no separation between egoism and altruism.
The Fear of Death
“Avarice and blind lust for status, which drive wretched people to encroach beyond the boundaries of right and sometimes, as accomplices and abettors of crime, to strive night and day with prodigious effort to scale the summit of wealth – these sores of life are nourished in no small degree by dread of death.”
Thousands of years later, the same idea would be echoed in the book The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker. What Epicurus is saying here is that a large part of the motivation for status and wealth is driven by deep fear of death.
It is the same fear that makes people envious of others who posses more power. Some throw away their lives to try to gain status and fame.
“And often, in consequence of dread of death, people are affected by such an intense loathing of lite and the sight of the light that with mournful hearts they sentence themselves to death, forgetting that the source of their sorrows is this very fear, which prompts one person to outrage decency, another to break bonds of friendship, and, in short, to overthrow all sense of natural duty.”
But if people are going to suffer unhappiness and pain in the future, they must exist at a future time for this to be possible. Since death takes away this possibility by preventing their existence, then there is nothing to fear about death. Those who no longer exist cannot become miserable.
There is a sure end to life for mortals. We cannot avoid our appointment with death, and yet people have a perverse passion for life that creates such a feverish existence. But our environment is always the same, there will be no new pleasure by prolonging life.
The problem is that, as long as the object of our desire is missing, it will seem more important than anything else, but when it is ours, we covet something else, and so, an insatiable thirst for life keeps us always open-mouthed. But we cannot tell what the future will bring, what chance will send us, or what end awaits us.
By prolonging life, we do not deduct a single moment from the time of death or diminish its duration. No matter how many generations your life may span, the same eternal death will still await you. The person who died today will remain dead no less long than someone who has perished many years ago.