Analyzing Lucretius Symmetry Argument - 1637 Words

This paper will analyze Lucretius’ symmetry argument in De Rerum Natura, and draw evidence in its conclusion that supports the Epicurean notion, of the nature of nothingness in death. In Epicurus’ â€Å"Letter to Menoeceus†, he argues that death is nothing to us and thus should not be feared. Epicurus’ views on death follow from his metaphysical and ethical views. He believed that the goodness or badness of something was directly correlated to its tendency to produce pleasure or pain. Death was simply the privation of the sense-experiences that we encounter every day. He also argues that death is not yet present when we are alive, and that we are not alive when death is present. Epicurus’ argues that the combination of these two arguments should deter us from fearing death. In Lucretius’s symmetry argument, every individual in the universe is made up of a specific combination of body and soul atoms. He argues that the finite body and soul ato ms of each individual have recombined an infinite number of times. He further claims that because our atoms are finite, we have all existed an infinite number of times but recall our past lives due to the separation of our body and soul. Regardless of whether the soul is immortal or not, an individual’s sense experience dies along with the destruction of the body and soul. Understanding Lucretius’ and Epicurus’ views on death, we can conclude that they both support the notion of death being nothing to fear. They acknowledge that there is no