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Lucretius was a Roman poet and Epicurean thinker whose 1st-century BCE poem On the Nature of Things explains atomism in Latin verse.
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What is Lucretius's On the Nature of Things about?
On the Nature of Things, or De rerum natura, explains Epicurean philosophy in Latin verse. Its six books describe atomism, the mortality of the soul, sensation, desire, and the natural world.
Why does Lucretius write so much about atoms?
Lucretius follows Epicurus in arguing that everything is made of atoms moving through void. This materialist view is meant to free readers from fear of divine punishment and fear of death.
Who was Lucretius writing On the Nature of Things for?
The poem is addressed to a Roman named Memmius, often identified with Gaius Memmius. Lucretius uses poetry as a way to make difficult Epicurean physics more persuasive.
How did Lucretius influence later European thought?
A manuscript of De rerum natura was famously recovered in 1417 by the humanist Poggio Bracciolini. The poem later influenced Renaissance and Enlightenment debates about nature, religion, and materialism.
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