Books by Titus Lucretius Carus

De Rerum Natura, the great didactic poem by philosopher and poet Lucretius, is presented here complete in the author's original Latin.Drawing on the atomism theory of Democritus, dating over 400 years prior to his masterwork, Lucretius main aim with his poem is to explain the various theories on why the world is as it is. Designed to be read publicly and by solitary readers, the wide ranging and lengthy poem examines the nature of the world, of sensation, of human consciousness, and of celestial bodies such as the moon and stars. A great admirer of Epicurus as a thinker, Lucretius bases much of his explanations off of Epicurean thought. Among the first thinkers to posit comprehensive philosophy of the world that was not rooted in religious belief, Epicurus - and therefore De Rerum Natura - stood in direct opposition to the idea that the classical pantheon of Roman Gods controlled the Earth. For this the work was controversial from the moment it appeared in 56 B.C.

De Rerum Natura, the great didactic poem by philosopher and poet Lucretius, is presented here complete in the author's original Latin.Drawing on the atomism theory of Democritus, dating over 400 years prior to his masterwork, Lucretius main aim with his poem is to explain the various theories on why the world is as it is. Designed to be read publicly and by solitary readers, the wide ranging and lengthy poem examines the nature of the world, of sensation, of human consciousness, and of celestial bodies such as the moon and stars. A great admirer of Epicurus as a thinker, Lucretius bases much of his explanations off of Epicurean thought. Among the first thinkers to posit comprehensive philosophy of the world that was not rooted in religious belief, Epicurus - and therefore De Rerum Natura - stood in direct opposition to the idea that the classical pantheon of Roman Gods controlled the Earth. For this the work was controversial from the moment it appeared in 56 B.C.

Titled De rerum natura in Latin, On the Nature of Things, written by Titus Lucretius Carus and translated by John Selby Watson, is an epic poem and philosophical essay in one. Written with the intent of explaining Epicurean philosophy to the Romans, the original poem was divided into six books and written in dactylic hexameter. The overarching principle in the book explains the human role in a universe ruled by chance. Notable is the absence of the gods the Romans depended upon; though LUCRETIUS invokes the goddess Venus in the poem's opening lines, he uses her merely as an allegory for sexual and reproductive power. Other themes throughout the poem include the nature of the soul and mind, why we sense and feel and think, principles of the void and atomism, the creation and evolution of the world, and celestial and terrestrial phenomena (and their differences). It tries to explain human life and purpose in a nutshell, or the nature of the Universe--a way for people to cope and understand in a confused and terrifying world.TITUS LUCRETIUS CARUS (c. 99 BC - 55 BC) was a Roman philosopher and poet. Very little is known about his life, and his only known work is the epic poem on Epicurean philosophy, On the Nature of Things. He dedicated the work to the famous Roman orator and poet Gaius Memmius, who may have been a friend, and it is thought that he may have died before he finished editing the poem, as it ends rather abruptly. The book's translator, JOHN SELBY WATSON (1804-1884), was a British translator and writer, convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering his wife in 1872.

"De Rerum Natura" offers readers a complete guide to happiness and a total tour of the universe. This book draws on the latest research into the text and interpretation of Lucretius to elucidate both the poetic artistry and philosophical content. Little background knowledge of Latin is assumed.

"-Kenneth J. Reckford, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill