Lucretius and Modernity: Epicurean Encounters Across Time and Disciplines (The New Antiquity)

Lucretius's shadow is long and extends across the Humanities. Bringing together essays by scholars at the top of their field, this book examines the relationship between Lucretius and modernity. Nuanced and passionate, these essays offer an account of what is at stake when we claim Lucretius for modernity. Lucretius's long shadow falls across the disciplines of literary history and criticism, philosophy, religious studies, classics, political philosophy, and the history of science. The best recent example is Stephen Greenblatt's popular account of the Roman poet's De Rerum Natura (On the Nature of Things) rediscovery by Poggio Bracciolini, and of its reception in early modernity, winner of both a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award. Despite the poem's newfound influence and visibility, very little cross-disciplinary conversation has taken place. This edited collection brings together essays by distinguished scholars to examine the relationship between Lucretius and modernity. Key questions weave this book's ideas and arguments together: What is the relation between literary form and philosophical argument? How does the text of De rerum natura allow itself to be used, at different historical moments and to different ends? What counts as reason for Lucretius? Together, these essays present a nuanced, skeptical, passionate, historically sensitive, and complicated account of what is at stake when we claim Lucretius for modernity. What Is Modern About Lucretius? / Michel Serres -- Modern Lucretius: Manifold Reason And The Temporality Of Reception / Brooke Holmes -- Lucretius And The Symptomatology Of Modernism / Joseph Farrell -- Lucretius The Physicist And Modern Science / David Konstan -- What Is Lucretian About Modernity? -- The Presence Of Lucretius In Eighteenth-century French And German Philosophy / Catherine Wilson -- Epicureanism Across The French Revolution / Thomas M. Kavanagh -- Lucretian Figures Of Modernity: Freedom, Cause, Truth -- How Modern Is Freedom Of The Will? / Phillip Mitsis -- On The Nature Of Marx's Things / Jacques Lezra -- All Sense-perceptions Are True: Epicurean Responses To Skepticism And Relativism / Katja Vogt -- Following Lucretius -- From Clinamen To Conatus: Deleuze, Lucretius, Spinoza / Warren Montag -- Notes On Leo Strauss' Notes On Lucretius / Alain Gigandet -- Reflections Of Lucretius In Late Antique And Early Modern Biblical And Scientific Poetry: Providence And The Sublime / Philip Hardie. Edited By Jacques Lezra And Liza Blake. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cover 1 Half-Title 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Acknowledgments 8 Introduction 9 Part I What Is Modern about Lucretius? 27 One Michel Serres’s Non-Modern Lucretius: Manifold Reason and the Temporality of Reception 28 Two Lucretius and the Symptomatology of Modernism 45 Three Lucretius the Physicist and Modern Science 62 Part II What Is Lucretian about Modernity? 74 Four The Presence of Lucretius in Eighteenth-Century French and German Philosophy 75 Five Epicureanism across the French Revolution 93 Part III Lucretian Figures of Modernity: Freedom, Cause, Truth 106 Six How Modern Is Freedom of the Will? 107 Seven On the Nature of Marx’s Things 126 Eight All Sense-Perceptions Are True: Epicurean Responses to Skepticism and Relativism 145 Part IV Following Lucretius 160 Nine From Clinamen to Conatus: Deleuze, Lucretius, Spinoza 161 Ten Notes on Leo Strauss’s “Notes on Lucretius” 171 Eleven Ref lections of Lucretius in Late Antique and Early Modern Biblical and Scientific Poetry: Providence and the Sublime 184 Bibliography 200 Notes on Contributors 212 Index 214 Front Matter....Pages i-vii Introduction....Pages 1-18 Front Matter....Pages 19-19 Michel Serres’s Non-Modern Lucretius: Manifold Reason and the Temporality of Reception....Pages 21-37 Lucretius and the Symptomatology of Modernism....Pages 39-55 Lucretius the Physicist and Modern Science....Pages 57-68 Front Matter....Pages 69-69 The Presence of Lucretius in Eighteenth-Century French and German Philosophy....Pages 71-88 Epicureanism across the French Revolution....Pages 89-101 Front Matter....Pages 103-103 How Modern Is Freedom of the Will?....Pages 105-123 On the Nature of Marx’s Things....Pages 125-143 All Sense-Perceptions Are True: Epicurean Responses to Skepticism and Relativism....Pages 145-159 Front Matter....Pages 161-161 From Clinamen to Conatus: Deleuze, Lucretius, Spinoza....Pages 163-172 Notes on Leo Strauss’s “Notes on Lucretius”....Pages 173-185 Reflections of Lucretius in Late Antique and Early Modern Biblical and Scientific Poetry: Providence and the Sublime....Pages 187-202 Back Matter....Pages 203-225 What is modern about Lucretius? Michel Serres's non-modern Lucretius: manifold reason and the temporality of reception / Brooke Holmes Lucretius and the symptomatology of modernism / Joseph Farrell Lucretius the physicist and modern science / David Konstan What is Lucretian about modernity? The presence of Lucretius in Eighteenth-Century French and German philosophy / Catherine Wilson Epicureanism across the French Revolution / Thomas M. Kavanagh Lucretian figures of modernity: freedom, cause, truth. How modern is freedom of the will? / Phillip Mitsis On the nature of Marx's things / Jacques Lezra All sense-perceptions are true: Epicurean responses to skepticism and relativism / Katja Maria Vogt Following Lucretius. From clinamen to conatus: Deleuze, Lucretius, Spinoza / Warren Montag Notes on Leo Strauss' "Notes on Lucretius" / Alain Gigandet Reflections of Lucretius in late antique and early modern Biblical and scientific poetry: providence and the sublime / Philip Hardie.