Why read The Nature of Things?

Book cover of The Nature of Things

Book description

One of a major new Classics series - books that have changed the history of thought, in sumptuous, clothbound hardbacks.

Lucretius' poem On the Nature of Things combines a scientific and philosophical treatise with some of the greatest poetry ever written. With intense moral fervour he demonstrates to humanity that…

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Topics

Ancient philosophy

Genres

Poetry

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Nature of Things as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Richard Wakefield

Author

It’s the oldest book I know of that tries to explain the mutable material world in strictly material terms. Appropriately, or maybe paradoxically, Lucretius puts his treatise into the form of poetry, following strict rules of prosody, as if the conventions of verse could create order out of chaos. Two thousand years later, the master poet A.E. Stallings translates it into formal English poetry. Nothing remains fixed, especially not language, and yet we never quit trying.

From Richard's list on The best books on meaning and mutability.