On the Nature of Things (trans. and ed. Martin Ferguson Smith)

Lucretius

Indianapolis: Hackett, 2001 
ISBN: 0872205878 (pb), pp. xxxviii + 224, £7.95

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Practical Philosophy  (Book Reviews) Spring 2003 Volume 6.1

Reviewed by: Trevor Curnow

On the Nature of Things is the only systematic treatment of Epicureanism that has survived from ancient times. That in itself guarantees it a place in the pantheon of philosophical classics. It is also the only epic philosophical poem that has come down to us from that period, although sufficient fragments survive from the works of Parmenides and Empedocles to know that Lucretius was not the first to expound a philosophical system in verse form.

 

Although written in six books, the work more naturally falls into three parts. The first two books are an account of atomism as expounded by Epicureans, which formed the metaphysical basis of their whole system. The second two are concerned with human nature and the workings of the mind. The final two deal with a wide variety of phenomena such as lunar eclipses, the origins of animal life, the use of iron, and the causes of earthquakes! This might suggest that the poem is a rather eccentric work, and by modern standards this is a fair assessment. However, Lucretius’s aim, in keeping with the nature of the Epicurean philosophy, was to show that a proper understanding of the nature of things delivers us from the irrational fears and desires that are obstacles to our happiness. Thanks to Epicurus, ‘superstition is flung down and trampled underfoot’ (p. 5). Thanks to Lucretius, we have a fascinating compendium of ancient beliefs concerning how the world supposedly worked.

 

What we do not have is much information about the poet himself. Apart from a few hints in his own work and the odd mention of him in the writings of his contemporaries, Lucretius is a curiously anonymous figure. He seems to have lived his whole life during the first century BC, but beyond that little can be said with confidence, and what can be said is to be found in Smith’s helpful introduction.

 

The translation itself is a revised version of Smith’s earlier (and long out of print) 1969 one. The opportunity of a new edition has prompted him to expand both the introduction and the annotations, as well as to append a useful index. The annotations are particularly helpful, providing a wealth of supplementary information along with frequent cross-references.

 

In the end, though, the real star of the show is Epicurus. While modern sensibilities may bristle at the suggestion that he was a god (p. 138), his humane philosophy deserves more widespread recognition than it routinely receives, and Lucretius is only its most eloquent advocate.

 

 

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