Lucretius in the Modern World (Classical Inter/faces) Book

Lucretius' masterpiece of Latin literature, On the Nature of Things, played a crucial role in the reinvention of science in the 17th century, on the French enlightenment of the 18th, and in the wars of religion with science in 19th century England. But in the 20th century, it has largely been forgotten by general readers and scientists alike. Now a distinguished classical scholar offers an enlightening description of this influential poem, with special emphasis on its cheerful version of materialism and on its attempt to devise an ethical system appropriate to such a universe. Professor Johnson surveys major texts from the 18th and 19th century in the works of Dryden, Diderot, Voltaire, Tennyson, and Santayana, and speculates on why Lucretius and the ancient scientific tradition he championed have become marginalized in our century. The book closes with a provocative discussion of the value of the poem for students of science and technology today in its advice for reinventing our machines and morality.Read More