Epicurus Vs. Lucretius

If the ancient philosopher, Epicurus, gave the Sermon on the Mount, found in the New Testament, he would say: “Blessed are those who are untroubled and unperturbed, for they shall find serenity.” His enthusiastic follower, Lucretius, used his superb poetical gifts to draw his readers into the desire-reducing materialism of Epicureanism. He challenged others to live their lives by cultivating a balanced, peaceful way of being. Lucretius believed the attainment of this peace of mind was through a therapy of disenchantment from worldly desires, like wealth or fame, but in particular, the pursuit of love. In his famous work, De Rerum Natura, he calls the desires of lovers to be “storm-tossed” folly because it leads to terrible pains of longing …show more content…
The cosmos can be understood if broken down into its most basic scientific components, atoms. The atomic vision of these two men had a little to do with experimentation, but more to do with observation. Atoms represented everything that was simple, indivisible, indestructible and infinite (the word atom literally means indivisibility). Epicurus held that the truest happiness comes from becoming as much like atoms as possible. But this is not to be taken literally, since we are made up of atoms and they will all disperse when we die. Rather, he means we can live our lives by cultivating simplicity and peace of mind. If we realize that everything is reduced to atoms - our lives, our cultures and our desires are fleeting - accidental and complex configurations that will eventually fade away and disappear. From here, we can gain critical logical leverage over our desires, creating detachment. The genius of Epicurus rests in the realization of the therapeutic value of …show more content…
He seeks to deliver us from the personal dangers to our peace of mind. His verses, like his ideas, are akin to putting honey on the rim of a cup of medicine for a child. He uses this tactic in his work to attempt to coax humanity away from anything that causes us emotional pain, especially in the case of love. To the Epicurean, a desire for the passionate, irrevocable union with the beloved is to be avoided in any way possible. If we realize that sex is simply a bodily function, we can be free from love’s threats on our tranquility. An idealized way of living, according to Epicurus and Lucretius, is to withdraw to an idyllic setting and live in harmony with nature. In such a place, any desires that upset our imperturbability should fade away when we surround ourselves with the beauty of nature and contemplate its mysteries. Along these lines of pastoral care and understanding, the singular advantage in reading excellent works of literature lies in reading them to understand how they help us to become a better version of ourselves. In keeping with this model, Lucretius used his ‘school of naturalism’ to propagate a materialism in natural science and humanism in ethics. Lucretius satisfies our desire for rest with Epicurus’ therapy of disenchantment. He describes his goal