5-Week SASA Reading Group: Atoms and Void: Lucretius' On the Nature of Things

We will read the great didactic epic De Rerum Natura (On the Nature of Things) in which the ancient Roman poet Lucretius explains the key ideas of Epicureanism, from the construction of the universe out of atoms and void to the evolution of human society and the best way of living so as to avoid pain and maximize pleasure. Along with discussing the poem's provocative ideas, we will also consider their revolutionary impact on early modern science, philosophy, and art when a single manuscript of this long-lost poem was miraculously rediscovered in the fifteenth century. Participants will gain an appreciation for one of the most beautiful works of Latin literature; an understanding of the philosophy of Epicurus and its impact on the development of modern science and philosophy; and a chance to think through profound issues, like how we can know about the world, how we can live a flourishing…