On The Nature Of Things

“As for what follows, Memmius, lend open ears and an alert mind, released from cares, to true philosophy.”

Lucretius often addresses Memmius as if he were the sole intended reader of this poem. In fact, Lucretius did intend to share his work more widely, and we should understand that Memmius is standing for any reader who has not yet embraced Epicureanism (the “true philosophy”). We should note that, even in this early passage, Lucretius is encouraging his audience to read like an Epicurean: “released from cares.”

“Such heinous acts could superstition prompt.”

The French writer Voltaire said that this famous line would last as long as the world. At this point in the poem, Lucretius is discussing a central point of his poem: that ignorance leads to superstition, and superstition leads to suffering. He relays the myth of Agamemnon, leader of the Greeks in the Trojan War, who believed that he had to sacrifice his own daughter so that the gods would bless his journey. According to Lucretius, it was a needless murder, brought about by ignorance of the nature of the gods.

“This terrifying darkness that enshrouds the mind must be dispelled not by the sun’s rays and the dazzling darts of day, but by study of the superficial aspect and underlying principle of nature.”

Lucretius repeats this sentiment several times throughout the work. He uses darkness and light as metaphors for ignorance and knowledge, and he presents Epicurean philosophy as the light that illuminates that darkness. The stakes, as laid out by Lucretius, are fairly high: without knowledge of nature to guide the way, people are susceptible to the folly of superstition.

“The first stage of this study will have this rule as its basis: nothing ever springs miraculously out of nothing.”

This is one of the fundamental tenets of the Epicurean model of the universe, and it is the first principle that Lucretius teaches us in this work. Atoms, the building blocks of matter, cannot be created out of thin air. A set number of atoms exist in the universe now, and the same number have always existed. This is one of the arguments for the immortality of atoms; since they cannot be born, they cannot die.

“The complement of the foregoing doctrine [that nothing ever springs from nothing] is the principle that, although nature resolves everything into its constituent particles, she never annihilates anything.”

This is the second basic rule of the Epicurean model, and it goes hand-in-hand with the previous one. Atoms cannot be destroyed; therefore, they are immortal. Lucretius does accept that materials can resolve into their constituent particles, through evaporation or disintegration. However, when this happens, the constituent particles are released into the world and can form the building blocks for new objects.

“For every change that involves a thing outstepping its own limits means the instantaneous death of what previously existed.”

It is central to Epicurean philosophy that everything in the universe has limits; that is, everything is defined in some way, and is subject to rules. Breaking or changing those rules means changing the essential nature of the object in question. This means that only mortal things can change, and immortal things suchas atomsmust remain the same forever.

“For the same atoms constitute sky, sea, lands, rivers, and sun; the same compose crops, trees, and animals; only they differ in their combinations and movements. Similarly, throughout these verses of mine you see many letters common to many words […] Such is the power letters derive from mere alteration of order.”

Lucretius teaches that atoms come in different shapes and sizes, and that they construct matter by combining in different arrangements. Therefore, there is no one “fire” atom, but rather a set of atoms that, in the correct arrangement, create fire. Lucretius frequently uses letters of the alphabet as an analogy for this phenomenon, since letters possess no meaning on their own, but in combination with other letters, they can take on an infinite number of possible meanings. 

“Doctors who try to give children foul-tasting wormwood first coat the rim of the cup with the sweet juice of golden honey; their intention is that the children […] will be tricked into applying their lips to the cup and at the same time will drain the bitter draught of wormwood […] I have a similar intention now: since this philosophy of ours often appears somewhat off-putting to those who have not experienced it […] I have preferred to expound it to you in harmonious Pierian poetry and, so to speak, coat it with the sweet honey of the Muses.”

Lucretius employs this analogy several times throughout this work. Recognizing that this is not the sort of subject matter that would hold a reader’s attention, he has chosen to write in the genre of epic poetry in order to make the reading experience more pleasant. He often breaks up lengthy scientific arguments with poetic passages for this reason. “Pierian” poetry is poetry that is sacred to the Muses, the goddesses of creative inspiration; they are associated with the Pierian Spring in Greece.

“To think that you should fail to see that nature importunately demands only that the body may be rid of pain, and that the mind, divorced from anxiety and fear, may enjoy a feeling of contentment!”

As he introduces Book II of his work, Lucretius laments that so many people waste their time on meaningless activities inspired by greed and ambition. The Epicurean way of life is based on avoiding pain and seeking pleasure. This means avoiding conflict and competition with others, since such activities rarely lead to satisfaction. It also means practicing moderation; once greed takes hold, you can never be satisfied, no matter how much you obtain.

“For even if I had no knowledge of the primary elements of things, I would venture to deduce from the actual behavior of the sky, and from many other facts, evidence and proof that the world was by no means created for us by divine agency: it is marked by such serious flaws.”

An element of Epicurean theology is that not only do the gods exist separately from the mortal plane, but they also had no hand in the creation of the world. Instead, Lucretius tells us, the Earth, the celestial bodies, and the conditions for life, all came about by chance, through the random movement of atoms over an infinite amount of time. He points to flaws in our planet, such as inhospitable deserts, as evidence that the world was not created for us.

“For it is inherent in the very nature of the gods that they should enjoy immortal life in perfect peace, far removed and separated from our world; free from all distress, free from peril, fully self-sufficient, independent of us, they are not influenced by worthy conduct nor touched by anger.”

This passage describes the existence of the gods, in a realm entirely separate from the mortal plane. Significantly, the gods enjoy the ideal Epicurean life, and experience no pain of any sort. The gods, then, can serve as a model for mortals to strive toward. It is interesting, too, that a key element of the gods’ peace is that they have nothing to do with mortal affairs; mortals, after all, do not live Epicurean lives, and are therefore apt to cause distress.

“Death does not destroy things so completely that it annihilates the constituent elements: it merely dissolves their union.”

Here, Lucretius is explaining the life cycle on Earth. Earlier in Book II, he derides the practice of worshipping our planet as the Great Mother, because he finds religion to be foolish. However, there is an element of accuracy to that cult, because the Earth really does nurture and beget all life on Earth. The particles within the Earth combine to form plants, animals, and humans, and, in turn, everything that has died returns its constituent particles into the Earth. This life cycle earns our planet the title of “mother,” in Lucretius’ eyes.

“You, who out of such deep darkness first found a way to raise such a brilliant light and illumine life’s comforts, you, glory of the Greek people, I follow, and in your footsteps I now tread boldly—less from a desire to rival you than because of love, which inspires me to imitate you.”

These lines open Book III of the poem. Here, Lucretius is performing a standard invocation, as he did at the beginning of Book I. This time, however, he is calling upon the philosopher Epicurus instead of a god. This invocation is clearly intended to echo that of Book I, and to insinuate that the benefits we traditionally associate with the gods can instead be found in enlightened mortals. Note how Lucretius uses the metaphor of Epicurus leading us into the light: he used similar imagery to praise Venus in Book I, but this time, he means the light of understanding.

“Again, a tree cannot exist in the sky, or clouds in the depths of the sea; fish cannot live in fields; blood is not found in timber, or sap in stones.”

These lines occur during Lucretius’ description of the mind and spirit, and their relation to the body. According to Epicurean thought, the mind and spirit are born with the body, mature with it, and die with it. Just as fish cannot live in fields, the mind and spirit cannot live anywhere but inside the body. These lines are repeated in Book V (lines 128 and following), to argue that we shouldn’t imagine inanimate objects possessing minds and spirits, since it is contrary to nature.

“Death, then, is nothing to us and does not affect us in the least, now that the nature of the mind is understood to be mortal.”

This conclusion follows naturally from the quote at #15, and it is one of the central tenets of Epicureanism. Since the mind and spirit are part of the body and can’t live outside it, that means they must die with the body. It’s therefore unreasonable to fear death: there is no afterlife, and we won’t possess any sort of awareness. This is an important argument for Lucretius, because he maintains that many people act foolishly out of fear of death, and this prompts them to be taken in by superstition.

“Next let me assure you that all the punishments that tradition locates in the abysm of Acheron actually exist in our life.”

By “the abysm of Acheron,” Lucretius means the Underworld; the place where all souls go after they die, according to Greek and Roman thought. Lucretius derides humanity for acting foolishly out of fear of punishment in the afterlife, when in fact we suffer our punishments here on Earth. He gives the example of ambitious men who push themselves to obtain more and more but can never be satisfied. Criminals, too, suffer the tortures that we associate with the Underworld, but in life.

“I will explain in verses melodious rather than many: the swan’s brief song is preferable to the clamoring of cranes that crowds the clouds of the southern sky.”

Throughout this work, Lucretius employs “metapoetry”: the device of writing poetry about poetry. Generally, he uses this device to lend structure to his arguments. It can introduce new sections or break up lengthy and technical scientific arguments. It is an element of the “honey” that he is applying to the “medicine cup” of his philosophy, helping to make difficult arguments more pleasant. In this case, he is cleverly using poetic imagery (swans and clamoring cranes) to make a metapoetic statement, a trick perhaps intended to amuse and entertain his audience.

“Therefore all sensations at all times are true.”

A key element of Lucretius’ methodology is evidence provided by the senses. He believes that every object emanates invisible particles that interact with our sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, etc.), which pass that information on to our brain. Since our senses aren’t capable of independent thought, they cannot mistakenly pass on incorrect information; they can only pass on precisely what they sense. The mind, which receives this information, is responsible for interpretation. We must therefore be sure to examine things carefully to be sure that the mind is understanding what the senses tell it; otherwise, we can’t be sure of the truth.

“The man who avoids love does not deprive himself of the joys of Venus, but rather chooses those that involve no penalty.”

The Epicurean lifestyle, seeking pleasure and avoiding pain, has a difficult time dealing with sex. On the one hand, it brings short-term pleasure, but on the other hand, sexual relationships can cause strife and heartbreak. Lucretius advises pursuing casual relationships, so that one can enjoy “the joys of Venus” without the risk of emotional pain. Ultimately, Lucretius prefers that one avoid sex altogether if one can, since even the pleasure of it is fleeting and unsatisfying.

“For if we are to speak as the majesty of his revelations demands, a god he was, a god [..] who first discovered that principle of life which is now identified with wisdom, and who by his genius saved life from such mighty waves and such deep darkness and moored it in such calm water and so brilliant a light.”

Book V begins with another invocation of Epicurus. This one is less subtle than that of Book III (see quote #14), which merely hinted at Epicurus’ godlike qualities. As he introduces the final two books, which are particularly centered around explaining phenomena that were formerly attributed to the gods, Lucretius becomes more overt in making Epicurus’ scientific knowledge a replacement for religion. To do this, the poet again uses the metaphor of the light of knowledge, and emphatically combines it with a nautical metaphor, showing that Epicurean philosophy will bring tranquility to its followers, as well as enlightenment.

“Again, how could it have harmed us never to have been created?”

Part of the purpose of Book V is to explain how humans came to exist, and to dispel the myth that the gods created us. So, Lucretius tells us that in its early days, the Earth created wombs that carried the first humans, and nurtured them itself until they could reproduce and propagate the species. Lucretius further argues that the gods would have gained nothing from our creation, and that our gratitude is meaningless to them. It ought to be meaningless to us, too, since the alternative to life is total oblivion: we would never have known that we hadn’t been created.

“And yet if human beings would guide their lives by true principles, great wealth consists in living on a little with a contented mind; for of a little there is never a lack.”

Here, Lucretius is describing the early stages of mankind’s development, from nomadic hunters with no language to humans’ invention of wealth and power. According to the Epicurean model, we are following a generally downward trajectory: from a simple society where there was no need for competition, we progressed to a civilization where powerful leaders are corrupted by greed and envy. In this quotation, Lucretius reminds us of the manner of living that would bring the greatest Epicurean pleasure.

“Then he realized that the cause of the flaw was the vessel itself, which by its own flaw corrupted within it all things, even good things, that entered it from without.”

In the introduction of Book VI, Lucretius is again celebrating the accomplishments of Epicurus. He describes how Epicurus realized that, though the world provides humanity with everything that we need, our minds are often still troubled. The birth of Epicureanism came when the philosopher understood that the failing was in our own minds, which he equated with a leaky vessel that could never be filled. The purpose of Epicureanism (the way to fix our leaky vessels), then, is to teach us to be satisfied with what we have, and not to seek more than we need.