Academic literature on the topic 'Lucretius Carus, Titus – De Rrrum natura'

Current atom concept teachings haven’t reached required levels from the points of both teaching methods and learning attainments. With this purpose in this research atom concept is conveyed to the classroom milieu through observations and experiments related to the atom concept during historical development process starting with the masterpiece of, the carrier of the atom thoughts of Antiquity to our age, Roman philosopher Lucretius, namely De Rerum Natura. The study has conducted thoughts regarding the atom in ancient and subsequent history under six headings teaching modules that would span over 11 weeks. The participants in the study were 73 pre-service science teachers. The two-tier multiple-choice diagnostic test was developed. In the analysis of the results of the test, after test hypotheses were proved, the single-factor ANOVA was employed for related samples, while frequency analysis was used for the content of the views of the participants and percentages were calculated to observe the change in alternative conceptions. Key words: concept of the atom in antiquity, experiments and observations, Titus Lucretius Carus, Two-tier Multiple-Choice Diagnostic test.

O poema épico-didático A Natureza das Coisas (De rerum natura), de Lucrécio (Titus Lucretius Carus ”“ séc. I a.C) é uma das grandes obras literatura universal. Fundindo poesia e filosofia, trata-se da divulgação da doutrina do filósofo grego Epicuro (300 a.C), a um tempo formado nos ensinamentos de Sócrates e reformista do atomismo de filósofos pré-socráticos, principalmente de Demócrito. No âmbito da poesia, Lucrécio influenciou grandes poetas latinos que o sucederam, tais como Virgílio, Horácio e Ovídio. O poema trata principalmente da física epicurista, em que a natureza está reduzida a átomos e ao vazio. Esta física está centrada no átomo como elemento infinitesimal da matéria, Ã qual estão submetidas outras categorias filosóficas como a metafísica (na aceitação da hipótese da existência dos deuses, mas também na diatribe contra a superstição) e a moral (na crítica ao amor visto como desejo meramente carnal e no elogio da amizade como “contrato social”). Tendo sido solapados pelo avanço do cristianismo, Lucrécio e Epicuro sofreram pelo menos mil anos de ostracismo. As críticas de Kant aos atomistas da antiguidade e a canonização científica da mecânica dos sólidos de Newton também influenciaram nesta quarentena do epicurismo. A partir do séc. XIX o poema de Lucrécio passou a receber a atenção de filósofos, poetas e tradutores. Na filosofia, foi estudado por Henry Bergson, Michel Serres (para quem Lucrécio seria o precursor da mecânica dos fluidos), Giles Deleuze, Clément Rosset, Phillipe Sollers e André Compte-Sponville. Na poesia francesa do XX, Paul Valéry e, sobretudo, Francis Ponge ecoam o requintado imagismo de Lucrécio.

This thesis argues that in the De Rerum Natura of Lucretius Shelley found an insight into the role of contingency in physical and historical process which allowed him to go beyond the limitations of an intellectual inheritance divided between post-Kantian Romanticism and the sceptical revolutionary Enlightenment. This insight entails radical implications for our understanding of the political role of the literary text. Shelley conceives society in evolutionary terms, making poetry a revolutionary clinamen (or mutation) in the iterative cycles of social reproduction. Models drawn from contemporary chaos theory help us to understand how this entropic tendency to disorder can work simultaneously as a negentropic motor of social innovation. Building on the work of Michel Serres, who demonstrates that Lucretius anticipates the recent scientific interest in "determinate indeterminacy," this thesis shows that Shelley's understanding of historical process and the role of the poet in social reproduction has anticipated some of the implications of contemporary "chaos science" in ways that suggest models for the general application of this new paradigm of contemporary scientific thought to literary and political issues.

Aquesta tesi està dedicada a l'estudi de les explicacions dels fenòmens físics relacionats amb el pes, la calor i l'aigua, ofertes pel poema De rerum Natura de l'atomista epicuri llatí Lucreci (Titus Lucretius Carus, 99/93-55/50 a.C.) <br/><br/>En ella s'identifica el poema com un tractat complet i coherent de física epicúria. S'exposa un resum de l'atomisme grec, iniciat per Leucip i Demòcrit i desenvolupat per Epicur. I també es discuteixen alguns punts problemàtics de les doctrines d'aquest, com ara l'explicació de les propietats de les coses per les formes i grandàries relatives dels seus àtoms i partícules compostes, l'explicació de l'origen del món o la funció dels quatre elements.<br/><br/>Es debaten qüestions relatives al pes dels cossos observables. Es mostra que en De rerum Natura el pes d'un cos és caracteritzat bàsicament com una força, resident en el mateix cos, que l'empeny cap avall, i amb la qual ell al seu torn empeny allò que té a sota o estira allò al qual està lligat; però també apareix caracteritzat en termes de moviment, com una tendència a caure o com una oposició a ser mogut o desviat del seu camí. S'analitzen les escasses dades referents a l'acceleració de caiguda. S'expliciten els factors, considerats per Lucreci, que provoquen moviments ascendents: extrusió, falta d'aire al damunt d'un cos, flux ascendent de partícules, força del vent i força de l'ànima; els mateixos factors, o semblants, es troben en l'explicació del sosteniment de les coses, com ara el animals o la terra. El món en conjunt també es troba sostingut pels àtoms que l'envolten. <br/><br/>Es tracten els fenòmens relacionats amb la calor, que Lucreci considera constituïda per àtoms molt petits, llisos i rodons; i amb el fred, constituït per àtoms més grans i punxeguts. Es reconeixen els àtoms de calor i de foc com a constituents dominants en alguns cossos, com ara les flames. Altres vegades aquests àtoms es troben en un cos causant un augment de la separació entre les seves partícules i un afluixament dels lligams entre elles, cosa que provoca la dilatació, la fusió o l'evaporació del cos. Altres vegades estan latents a dins d'un cos, com ara una fusta, i poden provocar-ne l'escalfament, o fins i tot la ignició, si s'agrupen com cal a causa d'una percussió, una fricció, un moviment o una arribada de partícules de calor i de foc des de fora. Es reconeix un cicle de la calor en el món, amb diversos bucles; el principal està constituït per partícules de calor que conflueixen des de tot arreu cap a la regió astral, en especial cap al sol, i que tornen a ser emeses des d'aquí també cap a tot arreu.<br/><br/>S'explicita el cicle de l'aigua, amb diversos bucles, i les explicacions dels fenòmens que hi intervenen; l'aigua apareix constituïda per àtoms petits, rodons i llisos, en comparació amb els de la terra, però no tan petits com els de la calor ni els de l'aire. El cos de l'aigua es veu destruït pels raigs del sol i pels vents, que desfan el seu teixit corpuscular, i així les partícules d'aigua passen a l'aire. Tornen a agrupar-se i a constituir aigua líquida quan són capturades per un teixit adequat, com el dels núvols; aquests la deixen caure sobretot quan són comprimits. La major part dels bucles són comuns entre els autors grecs i romans; però un es troba només en Lucreci: el formen les partícules d'aigua que entren i surten del món.<br/><br/>S'inclou, com apèndix, un "Índex d'idees en De rerum natura" molt detallat, que permet la ràpida localització dels versos referents a cada idea.<br><I>Lucretius's poem is introduced in the thesis as a treatise on Epicurean atomistic physics, and a summary of Greek atomism is offered. Some problematic points of Epicurean doctrines are discussed, like the explanation of the world's origin or the role of the four traditional elements.<br/><br/>Various questions related to Epicurean ideas on weight of visible bodies, and on their fall, ascension and sustenance are debated. The weight of a body appears basically as a force which resides inside it and pushes it downwards. The scarce data related to fall acceleration are analyzed. The processes that cause the ascent of things are identified: extrusion, lack of air only above a body, ascending stream of particles, force of wind and force of the soul. The sustenance of the world by the surrounding atoms is made clear.<br/><br/>The subjects related to heat and cold, formed by specific atoms, are treated; among them, the effects of heat on things: increase of separation and loosening of bonds between their particles, which produces their expansion and softening, melting or evaporation. Heat atoms latent in a thing, like in wood, can constitute heat and provoke warming or ignition, if they adequately regroup by percussion, friction, movement or arrival of other particles. Heat makes a complex cycle with different loops; the main one is constituted by heat particles which flow from the whole world to the sun and astral zone, and are sent back out again.<br/><br/>The water cycle reflected in De rerum natura is reconstructed, and explanations of phenomena involved in it are analyzed. Water is formed by smooth, round, tiny atoms, as opposed to solid materials like earth, but not as small as those of heat or air. In the evaporation it suffers destruction by the sun rays and winds, which scatter its particles into the air; when these rejoin, mainly by being trapped in the clouds' tissue, they form liquid water again. These processes must not be interpreted as transformations of "elements" into one another, but as partial destructions and generations of the great members of the world. </I>

Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura has as one of its main goals the extermination of traditional conceptions of the gods, but gods pervade the poem in a variety of roles, beginning with the very first line, invoking Venus. This report seeks to analyze the ways in which Lucretius exploits popular notions of the divine while remaining true to both his Epicurean beliefs and his anti-theistic agenda, as well as the reasons behind these decisions. We begin with an exploration of the role of the poetic medium in this situation, followed by a close examination of the entire proem. Lucretius’ negative views about religio are brought to light and are contrasted with his supportive views regarding religious metaphor, partly through an investigation into Lucretius’ representation of Epicurus as divine. The final section of this report identifies some of the same dynamics at play in Lucretius in modern atheistic discourse and draws more general conclusions about the nature of anti-theistic discourse in a world dominated by theistic assumptions.<br>text