Lucretius, << loo KREE shih uhs or loo KREE shuhs >> (99?-55? B.C.) was a Roman poet and philosopher. His only surviving work is a philosophical and scientific poem called De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things). Lucretius wrote the poem to free humanity from religious superstition and the fear of death. The poem’s emotional power and vivid language help to make it a masterpiece of Latin literature.
Lucretius was inspired by the teachings of the Greek philosopher Epicurus in writing De rerum natura. The poem reflects the Epicurean ideals of a tranquil mind and freedom from irrational fear. It argues that people need not fear a life after death, because the soul–like everything else–is a cluster of atoms and therefore disperses after death. The poem also argues that people should not fear the gods, because the gods remain aloof from human affairs. The poem gives rational explanations for earthquakes, thunder, and other phenomena that might be feared as supernatural events.
Lucretius’s full name was Titus Lucretius Carus. According to one story, Lucretius went mad after taking a love potion. He wrote poetry during brief periods of sanity, and eventually killed himself. Scholars cannot verify this story, but Lucretius’s poem does bitterly denounce the passions of love.
