Patnaik Vikram
Professor Wood
LMC 3102
20 October 2014
Lucretius vs Sophocles: Contrasting theories for same problem
Since ancient times, supernatural ideologies have been in constant clash with scientific ideologies to provide explanations for the creation of mankind and their behavior. While on one hand there exist theories where the earth and man were created in six days by God and the first woman was made from Adam’s rib, on the other hand science explains the creation of earth and mankind by the big bang, properties of atomic particles and evolution. Sophocles and Lucretius were two philosophers whose theories convey these contrasting ideologies. Studies of their works show a deep insight into their reasoning behind the working model …show more content…
The sphinx is not the only supernatural element in the play-Much of the drama in the play is brought about by an “oracle,” a term used by the ancient Greeks to refer to a shrine where people would come and pray to the gods for guidance. Myths were not only stories and tales however; Greek mythology and the pantheon of Gods it featured was the cornerstone of popular Greek religious belief. Myths provided explanations for deep religious question of creation, the afterlife and the existence of evil and suffering; they also explained natural phenomena such as thunder and …show more content…
He moves on to explain that the world in its totality exists because of the operation of material forces and natural laws and therefore the gods or death shall not be feared. The universe, as per De rerum natura, operates according to physical principles and not as per the divine intervention of gods and the traditional Roman deities. Not only does he defy the fear of the deities that rests in humans but he also goes on to speak against the concept of an afterlife. According to him, body contains the mind and soul. When a man dies, his body can no more exist and along with the body, the mind and spirit stop to exist. There is no eternal life he says. Men who flinch at the thought of non-existent afterlife shall think back in time about the eternal life before their birth, which probably did not cause them suffering. The first three books of De Rerum Natura talk about matter and space, the atoms and their movement, the regularity of reproduction, the nature of material bodily entities- the mind and spirit- and their mortality. The fourth book details the theory of senses- vision, hearing, smell, taste- of sleep and of dreams. The fifth book explains the principles of day and night, change of seasons, movements of the heavenly bodies, origin of the world, growth of human societies, cultures, civilizations, progress of mankind and the invention of
Professor Wood
LMC 3102
20 October 2014
Lucretius vs Sophocles: Contrasting theories for same problem
Since ancient times, supernatural ideologies have been in constant clash with scientific ideologies to provide explanations for the creation of mankind and their behavior. While on one hand there exist theories where the earth and man were created in six days by God and the first woman was made from Adam’s rib, on the other hand science explains the creation of earth and mankind by the big bang, properties of atomic particles and evolution. Sophocles and Lucretius were two philosophers whose theories convey these contrasting ideologies. Studies of their works show a deep insight into their reasoning behind the working model …show more content…
The sphinx is not the only supernatural element in the play-Much of the drama in the play is brought about by an “oracle,” a term used by the ancient Greeks to refer to a shrine where people would come and pray to the gods for guidance. Myths were not only stories and tales however; Greek mythology and the pantheon of Gods it featured was the cornerstone of popular Greek religious belief. Myths provided explanations for deep religious question of creation, the afterlife and the existence of evil and suffering; they also explained natural phenomena such as thunder and …show more content…
He moves on to explain that the world in its totality exists because of the operation of material forces and natural laws and therefore the gods or death shall not be feared. The universe, as per De rerum natura, operates according to physical principles and not as per the divine intervention of gods and the traditional Roman deities. Not only does he defy the fear of the deities that rests in humans but he also goes on to speak against the concept of an afterlife. According to him, body contains the mind and soul. When a man dies, his body can no more exist and along with the body, the mind and spirit stop to exist. There is no eternal life he says. Men who flinch at the thought of non-existent afterlife shall think back in time about the eternal life before their birth, which probably did not cause them suffering. The first three books of De Rerum Natura talk about matter and space, the atoms and their movement, the regularity of reproduction, the nature of material bodily entities- the mind and spirit- and their mortality. The fourth book details the theory of senses- vision, hearing, smell, taste- of sleep and of dreams. The fifth book explains the principles of day and night, change of seasons, movements of the heavenly bodies, origin of the world, growth of human societies, cultures, civilizations, progress of mankind and the invention of