{"id":65,"date":"2026-06-13T21:48:05","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T20:48:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/chapter\/1-introduction-the-magic-of-epicurean-physics\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T14:34:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T13:34:30","slug":"1-introduction-the-magic-of-epicurean-physics","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/chapter\/1-introduction-the-magic-of-epicurean-physics\/","title":{"raw":"1. Introduction: The \u201cMagic\u201d of Epicurean Physics","rendered":"1. Introduction: The \u201cMagic\u201d of Epicurean Physics"},"content":{"raw":"

<\/h2>\nLucretius\u2019 didactic masterpiece, De rerum natura<\/i>, serves as a profound bridge between the speculative curiosity of antiquity and the rigors of modern causal inquiry. As Albert Einstein observed in his 1924 foreword to the Diels edition, the poem offers a unique intellectual liberation for those who feel out of step with the intellectual prejudices of their own era.\n\nThe work of Lucretius will work its magic on anyone who does not completely wrap himself in the spirit of our time and, in particular, occasionally feels like a spectator of the intellectual attitude of his contemporaries. One sees here how an independent man equipped with lively senses and reasoning, endowed with scientific and speculative curiosity, a man who has not even the faintest notion of the results of today\u2019s science that we are taught in childhood\u2026 imagines the world.\n\nEinstein emphasizes that Lucretius\u2019 \u201cfirm confidence\u201d in the \u201ccausal connectedness of everything that happens in the world\u201d constitutes a profound scientific impression. By reducing the universe to the \u201cregular motion of immutable atoms,\u201d Lucretius aims to achieve the primary objective of Epicureanism: the liberation of humanity from the \u201cslavish fear\u201d induced by religion and superstition, which he viewed as tools of exploitation.\n

2. Bibliographic Heritage: The 1515 Aldine Edition<\/h2>\nThe physical history of Lucretius\u2019 text is inextricably linked to the Venetian Renaissance. Broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough identifies the 1515 Aldine edition as one of his \u201cmost precious\u201d books, noting its role as a \u201cmeme\u201d in which human experience is embedded and handed down through generations. Published by the legendary Aldus Manutius, this edition represents a pinnacle of early printing technology.\n\nPhysical Characteristics of the 1515 Edition:<\/b>\n
    \n \t
  • Format:<\/b> Octavo (set as a double-page spread).<\/li>\n \t
  • Dimensions:<\/b> 91 x 160 mm; thickness of 15 mm.<\/li>\n \t
  • Typography:<\/b> Set in the \u201cwonderfully elegant italic script\u201d pioneered by Manutius for his portable \u201chandbook\u201d editions.<\/li>\n \t
  • Production:<\/b> Printed in Venice; the edition consists of 266 pages.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    3. Editorial Note: The Diels Tradition<\/h2>\nThe Latin text presented in this module is based on the authoritative scholarship of Hermann Diels (1848\u20131922). Diels, a preeminent classical philologist, died in 1922 before the final completion of his edition. The work was published posthumously in 1923 by Johannes Mewaldt. The Diels tradition is defined by a rigorous reconstruction of the Filum Codicum<\/i> (Lineage of Manuscripts), tracing the text back to a lost 4th-century archetype.\n\nPrimary Manuscript Sources (Diels 1923)<\/b>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Siglum<\/td>\nName<\/td>\nCentury<\/td>\nOrigin\/Description<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    O<\/b><\/td>\nOblongus<\/b><\/td>\n9th c.<\/td>\nLeidensis Vossianus Lat. Fol. 30. From the Fuldensian school.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Q<\/b><\/td>\nQuadratus<\/b><\/td>\n9th c.<\/td>\nLeidensis Vossianus Quadratus 94. Formerly of St. Bertin.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    G<\/b><\/td>\nGottorpienses (Schedas)<\/b><\/td>\n9th c.<\/td>\nHaunienses fragments; closely related to the Quadratus (Q).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    V \/ U<\/b><\/td>\nVindobonenses<\/b><\/td>\n9th c.<\/td>\nVienna fragments; V is a portion of the same codex as G.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    4. Parallel Text and Translation: Book IV, 469\u2013721<\/h2>\n

    DE VERO SENSV QVARE COGNOSCATVR (Lines 475a+)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Latin Text (Diels)<\/td>\nEnglish Translation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    denique nihil sciri siquis putat, id quoque nescit \/ an sciri possit, quoniam nil scire fatetur.<\/i> (469-470)<\/td>\nAgain, if anyone thinks that nothing is known, he knows not whether even that can be known, since he admits he knows nothing.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    hunc igitur contra mittam contendere causam, \/ qui capite ipse sua in statuit uestigia sese.<\/i> (471-472)<\/td>\nAgainst him then I will refrain from joining issue, who has of his own hand set his head where his feet should be.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    et tamen hoc quoque uti concedam scire, at id ipsum \/ quaeram, cum in rebus ueri nil uiderit ante,<\/i> (473-474)<\/td>\nAnd yet, granted that he knows this, I would still ask this: since he has never before seen any truth in things,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    unde sciat quid sit scire et nescire uicissim, \/ notitiam ueri quae res falsique crearit<\/i> (475-476)<\/td>\nwhence does he know what it is to know and not to know in turn; what has created the knowledge of the true and the false,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    et dubium dato re quicquid distetque recuruo.<\/i> (477)<\/td>\nand what has proved that the doubtful differs from the certain.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    DE FALSO SENSV (Lines 512a+)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Latin Text (Diels)<\/td>\nEnglish Translation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    nunc igitur quoniam docui qui uisa per omnem \/ diffundantur et unde uiant, his addere pergam<\/i> (513-514)<\/td>\nNow, therefore, since I have shown in what way various sights are spread abroad and whence they travel, I will proceed to add to these<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    non esse a sensu falsum, sed opinio mentes \/ fallit, ubi ex aliis aliud conuersa tuentur.<\/i> (515-516)<\/td>\nthat there is no falsehood from the senses, but that opinion deceives the mind, when it turns and sees one thing in place of another.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    DE AVDITIS (Lines 523a+)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n
    Latin Text (Diels)<\/td>\nEnglish Translation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Principio auditur sonus et uox omnis, in auris \/ quae sese insinuat nostro uibrare lacerta.<\/i> (524-525)<\/td>\nTo begin with, sound and every voice is heard, when they find their way into the ears and strike upon the sense with their body.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    CORPOREAM ESSE VOCEM (Lines 525a+)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Latin Text (Diels)<\/td>\nEnglish Translation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Corpoream quoque enim uocem constare fatendumst \/ et sonitum, quoniam possunt inpellere sensus.<\/i> (526-527)<\/td>\nFor we must admit that voice and sound are corporeal, since they can strike the senses.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    praeterea radit uox fauces saepe facitque \/ asperiora foras gradiens arteria clamor.<\/i> (528-529)<\/td>\nBesides, the voice often scrapes the throat, and a shout, passing out, makes the windpipe more rough.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    DE VOCIS IMAGINIBVS (Lines 571a+)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Latin Text (Diels)<\/td>\nEnglish Translation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Haec loca per uocem resonat uariisque figuris \/ reddere uerba suis rationibus omnia uisa,<\/i> (572-573)<\/td>\nThese places ring with the voice, and seemed to return all the words in their due order and with their various forms,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    montibus in geminis ubi saepe ex ordine reddunt \/ uocibus icta suis loca uocis imagine formas.<\/i> (574-575)<\/td>\nwhere among the twin mountains the places, struck by the voices, often return in order the forms of the voice in its image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    QVA VISVS NON TRANET VOCEM TRANARE (Lines 594a+)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Latin Text (Diels)<\/td>\nEnglish Translation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Quod non mirumst, quare uisus per uitra meare \/ possit, at hic nequeat uox extra ferrier ulla.<\/i> (595-596)<\/td>\nWherefore it is not strange why sight can pass through glass, but here no voice can be carried out.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    conloquium quoniam per clausas tecta uocantur \/ et nequeunt oculi per densa meare meatus.<\/i> (597-598)<\/td>\nSince colloquies are summoned through closed houses, and the eyes cannot pass through dense passages.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    DE SAPORE (Lines 614a+)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Latin Text (Diels)<\/td>\nEnglish Translation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Hoc ubi mordemus, sucum per membra deducit \/ et facit ut uideantur amara et dulcia quaedam.<\/i> (615-616)<\/td>\nWhen we bite this, it leads the juice through the limbs and makes some things seem bitter and others sweet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    hoc ubi mordemus, sucum per membra deducit \/ ut sit qua possit uia quaedam terna uecari.<\/i> (617-618)<\/td>\nWhen we bite this, it leads the juice through the limbs, so that there may be a way where a triple path may be called.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    QVARE ALIA ALIIS CONTRARIA SINT (Lines 632a+)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Latin Text (Diels)<\/td>\nEnglish Translation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Nunc aliis alius qui sit cibus, expediamus, \/ uel quare, aliis quod triste et amarumst,<\/i> (633-634)<\/td>\nNow let us explain why there is one food for some and another for others, or why, what is to some sad and bitter,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    hoc tamen esse aliis possit uideaturque peracre.<\/i> (635)<\/td>\nthis yet can be and seem to others very sharp.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    DE ODORE (Lines 672a+)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n
    Latin Text (Diels)<\/td>\nEnglish Translation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Nunc age, quo pacto naris adiectus odoris \/ tangat, et unde fluat, paucis, aduerte, docebo.<\/i> (673-674)<\/td>\nCome now, in what way the impact of smell touches the nostrils, and whence it flows, in a few words, attend, I will teach.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    5. Critical Apparatus: Testimonia and Codices [592\u2013623]<\/h2>\n

    Testimonia<\/h3>\nThe following ancient and medieval citations provide the contextual framework for Lucretius\u2019 reputation as a \u201csublime\u201d but \u201cdifficult\u201d poet:\n
      \n \t
    • Cicero (<\/b>ad Quintum fr.<\/b><\/i> II 9,3):<\/b> Notes the poem contains \u201cmany flashes of genius, yet much art.\u201d<\/li>\n \t
    • Vitruvius (IX <\/b>Praef.<\/b><\/i> 16):<\/b> Describes readers \u201cdisputing about the nature of things\u201d with Lucretius as if he were present.<\/li>\n \t
    • Ovid (<\/b>Amor.<\/b><\/i> I 15, 23-24):<\/b> \u201cThe verses of sublime Lucretius will perish only when a single day shall give the earth to destruction.\u201d<\/li>\n \t
    • Quintilian (X 1,87):<\/b> Observes that Lucretius is \u201celegant in his own matter, but\u2026 difficult.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Codices (Variants for Book IV, Lines 592\u2013623)<\/h3>\n
      594      nunc igitur OQG : num igitur L\n598      conloquium O : colloquium QG\n616      mordemus OQ : mordemur G\n621      umbrosas OQ : umbrosas (ex archetypi umbrosas) G\n621      umbrosas scripsi : umbrosae It.\n<\/code><\/pre>\n
      6. Student Study Guide: Mechanics of the Senses<\/h2>\nLucretius\u2019 physiological arguments in Book IV are rooted in an atomistic-mechanical worldview. He argues that perception is not a mystical process but a physical interaction between atomic emissions and the sense organs.\n\nMechanics of Perception:<\/b>\n
        \n \t
      • Hearing (Voice as Atoms):<\/b> Lucretius asserts that voice is corporeal (Corpoream\u2026 uocem<\/i>). Sound consists of physical particles that \u201cscrape\u201d the throat and windpipe, proving their material nature through friction and impact.<\/li>\n \t
      • Taste:<\/b> The experience of flavor is determined by the geometric shape of atoms. When we bite food (mordemus<\/i>), the smooth or rough atoms are distributed through the pores of the palate. Pleasant tastes are caused by smooth, round atoms, while bitterness results from \u201chooked\u201d or jagged atoms that tear at the sensory membranes.<\/li>\n \t
      • Smell:<\/b> Described as a \u201cvaporous emission\u201d (fluat<\/i>) that is less persistent than sound or sight because smell-atoms are larger and emanate from the deep interior of objects, often breaking apart during their journey to the nostrils.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDiscussion Questions:<\/b>\n
          \n \t
        1. How does Lucretius use the physical \u201cscraping\u201d of the throat (lines 528-529) to defend his \u201cfirm confidence\u201d in the material nature of the soul and its functions?<\/li>\n \t
        2. Einstein suggests that Lucretius assigns \u201cparticular qualities of matter to particular characteristics of experience.\u201d How does the text in the \u201cDE SAPORE\u201d section illustrate this transition from geometry to sensation?<\/li>\n \t
        3. Lucretius argues that the senses are never false, but that \u201copinion deceives the mind.\u201d Based on lines 513\u2013521, how does this defense of the senses support the Epicurean goal of liberating humanity from the \u201cslavish fear\u201d of the unknown?<\/li>\n<\/ol>","rendered":"
          <\/h2>\n
          Lucretius\u2019 didactic masterpiece, De rerum natura<\/i>, serves as a profound bridge between the speculative curiosity of antiquity and the rigors of modern causal inquiry. As Albert Einstein observed in his 1924 foreword to the Diels edition, the poem offers a unique intellectual liberation for those who feel out of step with the intellectual prejudices of their own era.<\/p>\n
          The work of Lucretius will work its magic on anyone who does not completely wrap himself in the spirit of our time and, in particular, occasionally feels like a spectator of the intellectual attitude of his contemporaries. One sees here how an independent man equipped with lively senses and reasoning, endowed with scientific and speculative curiosity, a man who has not even the faintest notion of the results of today\u2019s science that we are taught in childhood\u2026 imagines the world.<\/p>\n
          Einstein emphasizes that Lucretius\u2019 \u201cfirm confidence\u201d in the \u201ccausal connectedness of everything that happens in the world\u201d constitutes a profound scientific impression. By reducing the universe to the \u201cregular motion of immutable atoms,\u201d Lucretius aims to achieve the primary objective of Epicureanism: the liberation of humanity from the \u201cslavish fear\u201d induced by religion and superstition, which he viewed as tools of exploitation.<\/p>\n
          2. Bibliographic Heritage: The 1515 Aldine Edition<\/h2>\n
          The physical history of Lucretius\u2019 text is inextricably linked to the Venetian Renaissance. Broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough identifies the 1515 Aldine edition as one of his \u201cmost precious\u201d books, noting its role as a \u201cmeme\u201d in which human experience is embedded and handed down through generations. Published by the legendary Aldus Manutius, this edition represents a pinnacle of early printing technology.<\/p>\n
          Physical Characteristics of the 1515 Edition:<\/b><\/p>\n
            \n
          • Format:<\/b> Octavo (set as a double-page spread).<\/li>\n
          • Dimensions:<\/b> 91 x 160 mm; thickness of 15 mm.<\/li>\n
          • Typography:<\/b> Set in the \u201cwonderfully elegant italic script\u201d pioneered by Manutius for his portable \u201chandbook\u201d editions.<\/li>\n
          • Production:<\/b> Printed in Venice; the edition consists of 266 pages.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
            3. Editorial Note: The Diels Tradition<\/h2>\n
            The Latin text presented in this module is based on the authoritative scholarship of Hermann Diels (1848\u20131922). Diels, a preeminent classical philologist, died in 1922 before the final completion of his edition. The work was published posthumously in 1923 by Johannes Mewaldt. The Diels tradition is defined by a rigorous reconstruction of the Filum Codicum<\/i> (Lineage of Manuscripts), tracing the text back to a lost 4th-century archetype.<\/p>\n
            Primary Manuscript Sources (Diels 1923)<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
            Siglum<\/td>\nName<\/td>\nCentury<\/td>\nOrigin\/Description<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            O<\/b><\/td>\nOblongus<\/b><\/td>\n9th c.<\/td>\nLeidensis Vossianus Lat. Fol. 30. From the Fuldensian school.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            Q<\/b><\/td>\nQuadratus<\/b><\/td>\n9th c.<\/td>\nLeidensis Vossianus Quadratus 94. Formerly of St. Bertin.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            G<\/b><\/td>\nGottorpienses (Schedas)<\/b><\/td>\n9th c.<\/td>\nHaunienses fragments; closely related to the Quadratus (Q).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            V \/ U<\/b><\/td>\nVindobonenses<\/b><\/td>\n9th c.<\/td>\nVienna fragments; V is a portion of the same codex as G.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
            4. Parallel Text and Translation: Book IV, 469\u2013721<\/h2>\n
            DE VERO SENSV QVARE COGNOSCATVR (Lines 475a+)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
            Latin Text (Diels)<\/td>\nEnglish Translation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            denique nihil sciri siquis putat, id quoque nescit \/ an sciri possit, quoniam nil scire fatetur.<\/i> (469-470)<\/td>\nAgain, if anyone thinks that nothing is known, he knows not whether even that can be known, since he admits he knows nothing.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            hunc igitur contra mittam contendere causam, \/ qui capite ipse sua in statuit uestigia sese.<\/i> (471-472)<\/td>\nAgainst him then I will refrain from joining issue, who has of his own hand set his head where his feet should be.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            et tamen hoc quoque uti concedam scire, at id ipsum \/ quaeram, cum in rebus ueri nil uiderit ante,<\/i> (473-474)<\/td>\nAnd yet, granted that he knows this, I would still ask this: since he has never before seen any truth in things,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            unde sciat quid sit scire et nescire uicissim, \/ notitiam ueri quae res falsique crearit<\/i> (475-476)<\/td>\nwhence does he know what it is to know and not to know in turn; what has created the knowledge of the true and the false,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            et dubium dato re quicquid distetque recuruo.<\/i> (477)<\/td>\nand what has proved that the doubtful differs from the certain.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
            DE FALSO SENSV (Lines 512a+)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
            Latin Text (Diels)<\/td>\nEnglish Translation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            nunc igitur quoniam docui qui uisa per omnem \/ diffundantur et unde uiant, his addere pergam<\/i> (513-514)<\/td>\nNow, therefore, since I have shown in what way various sights are spread abroad and whence they travel, I will proceed to add to these<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            non esse a sensu falsum, sed opinio mentes \/ fallit, ubi ex aliis aliud conuersa tuentur.<\/i> (515-516)<\/td>\nthat there is no falsehood from the senses, but that opinion deceives the mind, when it turns and sees one thing in place of another.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
            DE AVDITIS (Lines 523a+)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n
            Latin Text (Diels)<\/td>\nEnglish Translation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            Principio auditur sonus et uox omnis, in auris \/ quae sese insinuat nostro uibrare lacerta.<\/i> (524-525)<\/td>\nTo begin with, sound and every voice is heard, when they find their way into the ears and strike upon the sense with their body.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
            CORPOREAM ESSE VOCEM (Lines 525a+)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
            Latin Text (Diels)<\/td>\nEnglish Translation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            Corpoream quoque enim uocem constare fatendumst \/ et sonitum, quoniam possunt inpellere sensus.<\/i> (526-527)<\/td>\nFor we must admit that voice and sound are corporeal, since they can strike the senses.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            praeterea radit uox fauces saepe facitque \/ asperiora foras gradiens arteria clamor.<\/i> (528-529)<\/td>\nBesides, the voice often scrapes the throat, and a shout, passing out, makes the windpipe more rough.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
            DE VOCIS IMAGINIBVS (Lines 571a+)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
            Latin Text (Diels)<\/td>\nEnglish Translation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            Haec loca per uocem resonat uariisque figuris \/ reddere uerba suis rationibus omnia uisa,<\/i> (572-573)<\/td>\nThese places ring with the voice, and seemed to return all the words in their due order and with their various forms,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            montibus in geminis ubi saepe ex ordine reddunt \/ uocibus icta suis loca uocis imagine formas.<\/i> (574-575)<\/td>\nwhere among the twin mountains the places, struck by the voices, often return in order the forms of the voice in its image.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
            QVA VISVS NON TRANET VOCEM TRANARE (Lines 594a+)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
            Latin Text (Diels)<\/td>\nEnglish Translation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            Quod non mirumst, quare uisus per uitra meare \/ possit, at hic nequeat uox extra ferrier ulla.<\/i> (595-596)<\/td>\nWherefore it is not strange why sight can pass through glass, but here no voice can be carried out.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            conloquium quoniam per clausas tecta uocantur \/ et nequeunt oculi per densa meare meatus.<\/i> (597-598)<\/td>\nSince colloquies are summoned through closed houses, and the eyes cannot pass through dense passages.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
            DE SAPORE (Lines 614a+)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
            Latin Text (Diels)<\/td>\nEnglish Translation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            Hoc ubi mordemus, sucum per membra deducit \/ et facit ut uideantur amara et dulcia quaedam.<\/i> (615-616)<\/td>\nWhen we bite this, it leads the juice through the limbs and makes some things seem bitter and others sweet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            hoc ubi mordemus, sucum per membra deducit \/ ut sit qua possit uia quaedam terna uecari.<\/i> (617-618)<\/td>\nWhen we bite this, it leads the juice through the limbs, so that there may be a way where a triple path may be called.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
            QVARE ALIA ALIIS CONTRARIA SINT (Lines 632a+)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
            Latin Text (Diels)<\/td>\nEnglish Translation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            Nunc aliis alius qui sit cibus, expediamus, \/ uel quare, aliis quod triste et amarumst,<\/i> (633-634)<\/td>\nNow let us explain why there is one food for some and another for others, or why, what is to some sad and bitter,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            hoc tamen esse aliis possit uideaturque peracre.<\/i> (635)<\/td>\nthis yet can be and seem to others very sharp.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
            DE ODORE (Lines 672a+)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n
            Latin Text (Diels)<\/td>\nEnglish Translation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
            Nunc age, quo pacto naris adiectus odoris \/ tangat, et unde fluat, paucis, aduerte, docebo.<\/i> (673-674)<\/td>\nCome now, in what way the impact of smell touches the nostrils, and whence it flows, in a few words, attend, I will teach.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
            5. Critical Apparatus: Testimonia and Codices [592\u2013623]<\/h2>\n
            Testimonia<\/h3>\n
            The following ancient and medieval citations provide the contextual framework for Lucretius\u2019 reputation as a \u201csublime\u201d but \u201cdifficult\u201d poet:<\/p>\n
              \n
            • Cicero (<\/b>ad Quintum fr.<\/b><\/i> II 9,3):<\/b> Notes the poem contains \u201cmany flashes of genius, yet much art.\u201d<\/li>\n
            • Vitruvius (IX <\/b>Praef.<\/b><\/i> 16):<\/b> Describes readers \u201cdisputing about the nature of things\u201d with Lucretius as if he were present.<\/li>\n
            • Ovid (<\/b>Amor.<\/b><\/i> I 15, 23-24):<\/b> \u201cThe verses of sublime Lucretius will perish only when a single day shall give the earth to destruction.\u201d<\/li>\n
            • Quintilian (X 1,87):<\/b> Observes that Lucretius is \u201celegant in his own matter, but\u2026 difficult.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
              Codices (Variants for Book IV, Lines 592\u2013623)<\/h3>\n
              594      nunc igitur OQG : num igitur L\n598      conloquium O : colloquium QG\n616      mordemus OQ : mordemur G\n621      umbrosas OQ : umbrosas (ex archetypi umbrosas) G\n621      umbrosas scripsi : umbrosae It.\n<\/code><\/pre>\n
              6. Student Study Guide: Mechanics of the Senses<\/h2>\n
              Lucretius\u2019 physiological arguments in Book IV are rooted in an atomistic-mechanical worldview. He argues that perception is not a mystical process but a physical interaction between atomic emissions and the sense organs.<\/p>\n
              Mechanics of Perception:<\/b><\/p>\n
                \n
              • Hearing (Voice as Atoms):<\/b> Lucretius asserts that voice is corporeal (Corpoream\u2026 uocem<\/i>). Sound consists of physical particles that \u201cscrape\u201d the throat and windpipe, proving their material nature through friction and impact.<\/li>\n
              • Taste:<\/b> The experience of flavor is determined by the geometric shape of atoms. When we bite food (mordemus<\/i>), the smooth or rough atoms are distributed through the pores of the palate. Pleasant tastes are caused by smooth, round atoms, while bitterness results from \u201chooked\u201d or jagged atoms that tear at the sensory membranes.<\/li>\n
              • Smell:<\/b> Described as a \u201cvaporous emission\u201d (fluat<\/i>) that is less persistent than sound or sight because smell-atoms are larger and emanate from the deep interior of objects, often breaking apart during their journey to the nostrils.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                Discussion Questions:<\/b><\/p>\n
                  \n
                1. How does Lucretius use the physical \u201cscraping\u201d of the throat (lines 528-529) to defend his \u201cfirm confidence\u201d in the material nature of the soul and its functions?<\/li>\n
                2. Einstein suggests that Lucretius assigns \u201cparticular qualities of matter to particular characteristics of experience.\u201d How does the text in the \u201cDE SAPORE\u201d section illustrate this transition from geometry to sensation?<\/li>\n
                3. Lucretius argues that the senses are never false, but that \u201copinion deceives the mind.\u201d Based on lines 513\u2013521, how does this defense of the senses support the Epicurean goal of liberating humanity from the \u201cslavish fear\u201d of the unknown?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"menu_order":24,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-65","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":18,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/65","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/65\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/65\/revisions\/66"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/18"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/65\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=65"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=65"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=65"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}