46 pages • 1 hour read
LucretiusOn The Nature Of Things
Nonfiction | Essay Collection | Adult | Published in 1910A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Book IIChapter Summaries & Analyses
Book II Summary
The primary focus of this book is establishing the properties of atoms in greater depth, picking up from the basic argument of Book I.
Lucretius begins by reflecting that the only happy life is that of the Epicurean; nature only requires that “the body may be rid of pain, and that the mind, divorced from anxiety and fear, may enjoy a feeling of contentment” (Book II, lines 35-6; pages 18-19). Epicureans set their minds at ease by understanding the workings of the natural world, which frees them from the fear of the unknown.
Lucretius launches into his examination of the atom by investigating atomic motion. Atoms are in constant motion: they are thrown in different directions by collisions with other atoms, and by their own spontaneous swerves. They coalesce into larger objects when they find themselves bouncing rapidly between other closely-packed atoms. Our world is the result of these random atomic motions, and it is senseless to attribute it to the work of gods. Furthermore, there is an infinite amount of matter in our infinite universe, and the motion of atoms will never end.
We move on to the shape of atoms: “since the supply of atoms is...so huge as to be infinite and incomputable, it is of course inevitable that they should not all conform to one pattern and be characterized by the same shape” (Book II, lines 340-342; page 44). The effects of different atomic shapes on our senses—a bitter taste compared to a pleasant taste, say—allow us to detect the different shapes of the atoms - a sharp atom compared to a round one, for example. A final principle of atoms is that all substances are made of various sizes and shapes of atoms; nothing is made of only one kind of atom.
Lucretius breaks up this section with a poetic digression on the worship of the Great Mother goddess, who is seen as the mother of all life on Earth. He repeats that it is ignorant to attribute anything in the mortal realm to the gods, since they exist independently of us and exercise no influence on our lives. He warns that attributing anything to the gods is a sign of superstition.
Lucretius segues into the role of atoms in the creation of life. Atoms that make up living creatures are not randombut are determined by the “seeds” that make them up. After all, we can observe for ourselves that “everything is created from definite seeds and a definite parent and is able to preserve its specific character as it grows” (Book II, lines 709-710; page 53). This is how life is passed on now, but atoms did originally create our entire world, including life on Earth, through random motion. This does not mean that atoms possess life themselves; every living thing is mortal, and since atoms are indestructible, they cannot be alive.
After a poetic interlude celebrating the workings of nature, Lucretius concludes this book with an introduction to Epicurean astronomy. Since, as he established in Book I, the universe is infinite, there must be an infinite number of worlds like ours, with their own populations of living things. He also argues that the world must eventually die, as it uses up its resources. Lucretius rejects other theories of the origins of life and concludes with a poetic celebration of the spontaneous creation of life.
Book II Analysis
This book lays out in depth the principles of atomic motion, shape, and properties. These principles follow directly from the basic tenets laid out in Book I, which state that nothing comes from nothing, nothing can be completely destroyed, and the universe is infinite.
Lucretius explores Epicurean theology in a brief poetic digression on the worship of the Great Mother goddess, who is associated with Mother Earth, the origin of life. Lucretius provides a detailed description of the elaborateness of the Great Mother’s worship. This worship is a waste of time, though, because nothing we do will influence the gods. As Lucretius tells us, “...[the gods] enjoy immortal life in perfect peace, far removed and separated from our world; free from all distress, free from peril, fully self-sufficient…” (Book II, lines 648-650; page 51). In fact, the gods enjoy the same Epicurean contentment that Lucretius eulogizes in this book’s introduction: “And so we see that the nature of the body is such that it needs few things, namely those that banish pain and, in so doing, succeed in bestowing pleasures in plenty” (Book II, lines 20-22; page 36). The implication, then, is that rather than celebrating elaborate rituals that will accomplish nothing, we ought simply to emulate the gods.
The cosmological view laid out in this book, evoking infinite space filled with infinite worlds, further justifies Epicurean theology. As Lucretius asks, “who has the power to rule the entirety of the immeasurable? […] Who has the power to revolve all the skies together and fumigate with ethereal fires all the fertile earths?” (Book II, lines 1092-94; page 63). The answer is no one, not even the gods. Therefore, according to Lucretius, only chance and the passage of time have allowed the Earth (and other worlds) to reach its current state. The gods, though they exist, exert no influence.
Poetic digressions serve as the introduction to Book II and also as a bridge between discussions of atomic motion and atomic shapes (lines 320-332). Both of these passages directly recall the epic language of the Greek poet Homer, who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey. Whereas Homer’s works romanticize warfare and glory, though, Lucretius uses Homeric language to denigrate those who pursue war instead of Epicurean tranquility. For example, Lucretius directly paraphrases Homer to describe the horror of an army on the battlefield: “the glitter of arms glances to the sky, as the earth on every side reflects the gleam of bronze; the ground resounds to the tramp of strong men’s feet” (Book II, lines 325-327; page 43). However, despite this inspiring imagery, Lucretius immediately describes how motionless and insignificant these war games appear from afar. Thus, though he uses the language and imagery of Homer, he immediately subverts it with a cool-headed reality check.
