LUCRETIUS

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

BOOK I

1. DO MATTER AND SPACE COVER ALL THE DATA?

2. WHAT IS/ARE HIS CRITERION(A) OF TRUTH?

3. WHY ARE ATOMS "POSTULATED"?

BOOK II

1. FREE WILL? DETERMINISM?

2. FEATURES OF A UNIFYING ACCOUNT OF REALITY?

3. SECONDARY QUALITIES? JUST IN US?

4. WHAT IS ARRANGEMENT? SHREDDER CASE

5. HOW DO PURPOSELESS COLLISIONS PRODUCE PURPOSE? IS THERE PURPOSE?

6. ROLE OF CHANCE/FATE?

BOOK III

1. HOW DOES INANIMATE MATTER BECOME ANIMATE?

2. NATURAL DISPOSITIONS--DETERMINISM?

3. DOES DESIGN-->DESIGNER?

4. IS DUALISM "CRAZY"?

5. WHAT IS PURPOSE OF LIFE? WHY DO ANYTHING?

6. WHAT IS SOURCE OF PERSONAL IDENTITY IF WE ARE CONSTANTLY CHANGING?

7. HP=M+VS+B?

8. ACCEPT YOUR LOT? FATE?

9. HOW DECIDE AMONG VARIOUS ACCOUNTS OF HP?

10. WHAT KIND OF EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY? HOW MUCH?

KEY PROPOSITIONS

BOOK I

1. NOTHING IS EVER CREATED OUT OF NOTHING

2. NOTHING IS EVER ANNIHILATED

3. MATTER EXISTS IN THE FORM OF INVISIBLE PARTICLES

4. BESIDES MATTER, THE UNIVERSE CONTAINS EMPTY SPACE/VACUITY

5. THE UNIVERSE CONSISTS OF MATTER AND SPACE AND NOTHING ELSE

6. THE ATOMS ARE INDESTRUCTIBLE

7. THE UNIVERSE IS BOUNDLESS

8. THE UNIVERSE HAS NO CENTER

BOOK II

1. THE ATOMS ARE ALWAYS MOVING

2. THEY MOVE FASTER THAN LIGHT

3. THE ATOMS NORMALLY MOVE DOWNWARD

4. OCCASIONALLY THEY SWERVE

5. THEY WERE NEVER EITHER MORE OR LESS CONGESTED THAN NOW

6. THE APPARENT IMMOBILITY OF MATTER IS AN OPTICAL ILLUSION

7. PROPERTIES OF OBJECTS DUE TO VARIETIES IN SIZE & SHAPE OF ATOMS

8. NUMBER OF ATOMIC SHAPES IS LARGE BUT FINITE

9. THE NUMBER OF ATOMS OF ANY ONE SHAPE IS INFINITE

10. ALL VISIBLE OBJECTS ARE COMPOUNDS OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF ATOMS

11. ONLY CERTAIN COMPOUNDS CAN EXIST

12. ATOMS ARE DEVOID OF COLOR, HEAT, SOUND, TASTE, AND SMELL

BOOK III

1. THE MIND IS PART OF THE BODY

2. THE MIND AND SPIRIT COMPOSE A SINGLE SUBSTANCE

3. THIS SUBSTANCE IS A COMPOUND OF WIND, AIR, HEAT, AND 4TH ELEMENT

4. LIFE DEPENDS ON UNION OF MIND-SPIRIT WITH BODY

5. THE QUANTITY OF MIND-SPIRIT IN THE BODY IS SMALL

6. MIND CONTROLS THE SPIRIT

7. MIND AND SPIRIT WERE BORN AND WILL DIE