Lucretius wraps up his epic take on Epicurus. Discussion Prompts AP Credit: Compare/Contrast Epicurus and Lucretius. Has Lucretius convinced you not to fear death? Or not to fear the gods? What do you think about Lucretius’s physics? Do the gods exist? Why or why not? Any other thoughts on Lucretius and De Rerum Natura?
Category Archives: Roman Epics
Roman Epics V: De Rerum Natura Book 5, or Darwin Didn’t Get There First
Lucretius gives a logical explanation for why chimeras can’t exist in Book 5 of De Rerum Natura. Discussion Prompts What’s your favorite mythological creature that combines two different animals? Can religion and science coexist? Be polite. AP Credit: What are some modern equivalents of this epic? Discuss. What does Lucretius (and/or Epicurus) get right about evolution?Continue reading “Roman Epics V: De Rerum Natura Book 5, or Darwin Didn’t Get There First”
Roman Epics IV: De Rerum Natura Book 4, or How to Strut Your Hour Upon the Stage Without Fretting
Lucretius insists that we don’t have to fear death. We’ll see if his reasoning is at all helpful. Discussion Prompts If a tree falls in the woods, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Love: Good or bad? Why? Does the belief that there is no afterlife increase orContinue reading “Roman Epics IV: De Rerum Natura Book 4, or How to Strut Your Hour Upon the Stage Without Fretting”
Roman Epics III: De Rerum Natura Book 3, or Shuffling Off This Mortal Coil
Who’s right? Lucretius and Epicurus? Or Hamlet? Discussion Prompts See above. What, if anything, is the distinction between the mind and the body? Is there a soul? Why or why not?
Roman Epics II: De Rerum Natura Book 2, or If You Wanna Be Happy for the Rest of Your Life
We learn about happiness and atoms in Book 2 of De Rerum Natura. Discussion Prompts Is Lucretius a monotheist? Why or why not? What would your ancient Roman self-help book be about? When you think of “epicurean,” what do you think of? AP Credit: Discuss Lucretius’s accuracies and inaccuracies in his description of atoms.
Roman Epics I: De Rerum Natura Book 1, or Lucretius Isn’t Wrong
Welcome to Roman Epics! We start with Lucretius’s De Rerum Natura, or On the Nature of Things. Discussion Prompts If you were to write an epic based on philosophy, what philosophy would you write about? How do you think Lucretius (and Epicurus) managed to philosophize physics as well as they did? What does this book teach aboutContinue reading “Roman Epics I: De Rerum Natura Book 1, or Lucretius Isn’t Wrong”
Triumvir Clio's School of Classical Civilization 