Lucretius Superstition

Lucretius was a Roman poet, famous for Epicurean philosophy. He focused on themes that involved the way in which humans exist in the natural world. Through his ideas of superstition, atoms and mortality, Lucretius’ philosophy introduced a controversial yet systematic natural perspective into a society that was predominantly still reliant on mythical explanations. By emphasizing the importance of personal reasoning, Lucretius influenced many of his successors. At the time of publication, Roman society relied heavily on the idea of various Gods and Goddesses in order to compensate for their lack of understanding of the physical world. Lucretius was opposed to this notion as he believed it encouraged false fears and irrationality. In reference to the suggestions of prophets, he says, “Only think what phantoms they can conjure up to overturn the tenor of your life and wreck your happiness with fear”. According to Lucretius, the belief in superstition results in hesitancy towards one’s own judgement. Considering the prevalence of superstition in Roman society,

Since there is no divine figure that dictates life, there must be some rational explanation as to how matter comes to be. Within his first principle he states, “Nothing can ever be created by divine power out of nothing”. He suggests that all matter exists in the form of atoms, and although these atoms are not visible to the naked eye, they are still present. Unsurprisingly, this idea is radically different than any other concept of being that the Romans previously held. As a result, Lucretius’ writings were likely not well received by the audience. Prior to Lucretius, it was generally accepted that the Gods created everything. To suggest that divinity played no role in the formation of matter may have been considered offensive to many readers at the time, regardless of intellectual