We live in an age where scientific breakthroughs are made daily. Unfortunately, society takes our success for granted. People do not comprehend precisely how far we have come and, more importantly, how we have done so. The desire to learn and explain observations sparked the scientific revolution a few thousand years ago. Like all newly garnered information, base knowledge first needs establishment to expand understanding. The Roman philosopher, Lucretius, possesses the drive to understand the world he lived in. Through observation and logic, Lucretius strives to prove atoms are the fundamental unit of all earthly materials. Religion in the ancient world dominated all aspects of life. A core religious belief was that divine powers were the …show more content…
He addresses this aspect of atomism because he understands the religious community will passionately oppose him. However, he knows ideals of divine power must be addressed for the rest of his observations to have relevance. If he does not first make people question divinity, none of his other points will have relevance. Lucretius discusses natural phenomena such as flowers that “appear in spring” and animals that “spring from any source” because they rebut divine powers (Lucretius). Plant growth’s significance is the definite growing conditions they require such as temperature. Rather than occurring at any point in the year, plant growth happens at specific points. Because people see when plants grow, they cannot dispute Lucretius’ assertion. Also, people feel many of the conditions that optimize plant growth. Lucretius wants people to question why growth does not occur throughout the year. If a divine power intercedes, growth would be expected year-round. Lucretius discusses seeing offspring bred from the same species. Because organisms do not spontaneously generate, it does not appear they grow from nothingness. If a divine power is responsible, then species would grow from different