Epicureanism and Stoicism

Lucretius' On the Nature of Things, the oldest surviving epic in Latin, gives a poetic account of the composition of the universe, the nature of the soul and the senses, and the development of human society. Its scientific arguments all aim to allow readers to live in happiness by freeing them from the fear of death and the gods. We will read selections of this unique and influential masterpiece in Latin, and the whole in English, with attention both to its qualities as poetry and its philosophic importance. We will also examine its impact on the development of early modern science.