History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps HoP 058 - Reaping the Harvest - Lucretius
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Dec 11, 2011 AI Snips
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Vesuvius Preserved A Philosophical Library
- The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD preserved charred papyrus rolls in Herculaneum that later revealed Epicurean texts.
- These finds included works by Philodemus and fragments of Epicurus's On Nature, reshaping knowledge of Roman Epicureanism.
Philosophy Made Poetic For Rome
- Lucretius translated and transformed Epicurus's Greek physics into polished Latin hexameter poetry.
- His poem De Rerum Natura blends literary artistry with philosophical exposition to reach Roman readers.
Hymns And Honeyed Medicine
- Lucretius praises Epicurus extravagantly while arguing gods are remote and irrelevant to human affairs.
- He aims to make Epicurean doctrine attractive, likening his poem to honeyed medicine to convert readers.