Lucretius On The Nature Of Things Analysis
Approximately fifty years before Christ, Roman poet and philosopher, Lucretius began to state his beliefs to the world. We now know that Lucretius had many beliefs regarding death and the human spirit and how they were related. In his writing, “On The Nature of Things”, Lucretius states that the human spirit or mind is mortal. By saying that the human mind is mortal, Lucretius is saying that the human mind is subject to death, the same way that the human body is. The human spirit is a mental part of humanity, and includes things such as fear, intellect, and personality. Lucretius argues that death means nothing to us. People must actually live through death for it to have been remembered as painful, which as most people can quickly figure out,
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is impossible. Lucretius implies that once a person has died; their birth no longer matters. This is not always the case, and can be disproven. Deathless deaths are also mentioned in the writings of Lucretius. A deathless death relates to the fact that death is a single occurrence. This paper will expand on the truths surrounding Lucretius’s theory of the human spirit being mortal. Death does not phase people after it has occurred, due to the fact that their spirit has left the body forever. Lucretius states that in order for one to endure pain or death in the future, they must actually exist in the future. Once someone is dead, they no longer feel anything physical. So, in order to feel death, one must actually be alive, which is a paradox. You cannot be both alive and dead at the same time. Once you have died, you can no longer be miserable. Death is considered a blessing to people who are and have been suffering for long periods of time. Most people spend their whole life considering the thought of death, but experiencing the thought is a completely different thing than reminiscing on the physical pain that death inflicts. Death may very well be an extremely painful experience, but there is an equal chance that we may not feel it at all. There is no way of proving or disproving that death is painful, because once you have died, you have no way of relaying any information to those who are alive. If the human spirit actually existed as a sort of divine being, we would have studies and statistics on the feelings of death. If the spirits of the dead were really able to communicate with those still alive, then this paper would be irrelevant due to the fact that we would have solid knowledge on death. Although death is inevitable, we should not fear it, for we will not even feel it once it has happened. Fearing death is kind of absurd when you really sit down and think about it. How can you fear something that you will not even remember? Cancer patients are a good idea of why people should not fear death. When diagnosed with any form of cancer, most people decide to dedicate their time to defeating the cancer. People want to defeat the cancer, not because they are afraid of death, but because they do not want to leave their loved ones behind. Once you have defeated cancer, if you are one of the lucky ones that does, you have no reason to be afraid of anything. Defeating cancer is a momentous feat that one should be proud of. They should not live their lives in fear of dying, because they have already once escaped death. On the other hand, once a disease such as cancer has progressed to a certain stage, would people not wish for death? At some points life, one may genuinely believe that death would be an upgrade, compared to they way that they currently live. People do not go about their daily business with the constant thought of “what if I died right now” it barely even crosses most peoples minds until it is a possibility. Lucretius speaks of “deathless death”.
Deathless death refers to the fact that once you are dead, there is no self. After you have died, you have permanently left your body, and there is no longer any more death for you. Deathless death is a paradoxal idea introduced by a comic, Greek poet named Amphis. Lucretius also believes that once you have been taken by death, it no longer matters whether you were born. This statement may not be completely accurate. We remember the lives of many people after they have left us. People like Martin Luther King JR., Rosa Parks, Terry Fox, or Gandhi, have a mental presence that the world will remember forever. Although they have physically and mentally left us, their visions and ideas will live on for the rest of our existence. Without the fights that these brave people fought, the world would be a completely different place. We remember them every day, even though they are dead. It does matter that these people were born, and their lives will continue to matter for a very long time. Without the short life of Terry Fox, cancer research would be nowhere near where it is today. He may be dead, but he still matters, and we remember him every year, all around the world. This being said, how many homeless men and women residing on the side of Yonge Street, are remembered after death? There are exceptions, but it does not mean that all deaths make all lives irrelevant. While we should not fear death, we should cherish life, because our lives do matter even after we have passed
on. If the human spirit was not mortal, the previous arguments would not be relevant. If the human spirit were not attached to the body, there would be facts that tell society what to expect after death. In reality, we have no studies, no statistics and no facts to prove that the human spirit is not moral. Our spirits die when our bodies die. Death is the end, there is no chance of feeling pain after, or being unhappy, it is just over. People do not actually fear death itself, they fear for their loved ones and how they will cope after they are gone. Death is not what we are afraid of, nor are we even capable of feeling hurt by death, after it has occurred. Lucretius proves this conclusion in the many arguments that have been addressed in this paper. By looking at the many thoughts discussed on pages 89-91 of “On The Nature of Things”, we are able to realize what Lucretius means when referring to how death affects people before and after it has actually occurred. Lucretius proves to be correct in his conclusion that death should and does nothing to people after it has actually occurred.
is impossible. Lucretius implies that once a person has died; their birth no longer matters. This is not always the case, and can be disproven. Deathless deaths are also mentioned in the writings of Lucretius. A deathless death relates to the fact that death is a single occurrence. This paper will expand on the truths surrounding Lucretius’s theory of the human spirit being mortal. Death does not phase people after it has occurred, due to the fact that their spirit has left the body forever. Lucretius states that in order for one to endure pain or death in the future, they must actually exist in the future. Once someone is dead, they no longer feel anything physical. So, in order to feel death, one must actually be alive, which is a paradox. You cannot be both alive and dead at the same time. Once you have died, you can no longer be miserable. Death is considered a blessing to people who are and have been suffering for long periods of time. Most people spend their whole life considering the thought of death, but experiencing the thought is a completely different thing than reminiscing on the physical pain that death inflicts. Death may very well be an extremely painful experience, but there is an equal chance that we may not feel it at all. There is no way of proving or disproving that death is painful, because once you have died, you have no way of relaying any information to those who are alive. If the human spirit actually existed as a sort of divine being, we would have studies and statistics on the feelings of death. If the spirits of the dead were really able to communicate with those still alive, then this paper would be irrelevant due to the fact that we would have solid knowledge on death. Although death is inevitable, we should not fear it, for we will not even feel it once it has happened. Fearing death is kind of absurd when you really sit down and think about it. How can you fear something that you will not even remember? Cancer patients are a good idea of why people should not fear death. When diagnosed with any form of cancer, most people decide to dedicate their time to defeating the cancer. People want to defeat the cancer, not because they are afraid of death, but because they do not want to leave their loved ones behind. Once you have defeated cancer, if you are one of the lucky ones that does, you have no reason to be afraid of anything. Defeating cancer is a momentous feat that one should be proud of. They should not live their lives in fear of dying, because they have already once escaped death. On the other hand, once a disease such as cancer has progressed to a certain stage, would people not wish for death? At some points life, one may genuinely believe that death would be an upgrade, compared to they way that they currently live. People do not go about their daily business with the constant thought of “what if I died right now” it barely even crosses most peoples minds until it is a possibility. Lucretius speaks of “deathless death”.
Deathless death refers to the fact that once you are dead, there is no self. After you have died, you have permanently left your body, and there is no longer any more death for you. Deathless death is a paradoxal idea introduced by a comic, Greek poet named Amphis. Lucretius also believes that once you have been taken by death, it no longer matters whether you were born. This statement may not be completely accurate. We remember the lives of many people after they have left us. People like Martin Luther King JR., Rosa Parks, Terry Fox, or Gandhi, have a mental presence that the world will remember forever. Although they have physically and mentally left us, their visions and ideas will live on for the rest of our existence. Without the fights that these brave people fought, the world would be a completely different place. We remember them every day, even though they are dead. It does matter that these people were born, and their lives will continue to matter for a very long time. Without the short life of Terry Fox, cancer research would be nowhere near where it is today. He may be dead, but he still matters, and we remember him every year, all around the world. This being said, how many homeless men and women residing on the side of Yonge Street, are remembered after death? There are exceptions, but it does not mean that all deaths make all lives irrelevant. While we should not fear death, we should cherish life, because our lives do matter even after we have passed
on. If the human spirit was not mortal, the previous arguments would not be relevant. If the human spirit were not attached to the body, there would be facts that tell society what to expect after death. In reality, we have no studies, no statistics and no facts to prove that the human spirit is not moral. Our spirits die when our bodies die. Death is the end, there is no chance of feeling pain after, or being unhappy, it is just over. People do not actually fear death itself, they fear for their loved ones and how they will cope after they are gone. Death is not what we are afraid of, nor are we even capable of feeling hurt by death, after it has occurred. Lucretius proves this conclusion in the many arguments that have been addressed in this paper. By looking at the many thoughts discussed on pages 89-91 of “On The Nature of Things”, we are able to realize what Lucretius means when referring to how death affects people before and after it has actually occurred. Lucretius proves to be correct in his conclusion that death should and does nothing to people after it has actually occurred.