Attempts to dispel fear of death by claiming that life continues on in some fashion post mortem a... more Attempts to dispel fear of death by claiming that life continues on in some fashion post mortem are commonplace. Such was not, however, the approach adopted by the ancient Epicureans. On the contrary, Epicurus is frequently credited with originating the argument that death is not to be feared, precisely because it is the end of existence. That no person survives his own death is a proposition to which the Epicureans are unquestionably committed. 1 It is also true that Epicurus and his followers consistently represent fear of death as one of the greatest impediments to human flourishing. 2 Nevertheless, Epicurean attitudes toward death and its associated fears turn out to be considerably more nuanced than generally recognized.
This note addresses an emendation in Lucr. 3.295 originally proposed by R. Bentley and endorsed m... more This note addresses an emendation in Lucr. 3.295 originally proposed by R. Bentley and endorsed most recently by E.J. Kenney. I argue that the meaning of this and the preceding line has not been fully appreciated even by those commentators who (rightly) retain the MSS reading. To help elucidate the passage, I point to parallels in Philodemus of Gadara's De ira.
Attempts to dispel fear of death by claiming that life continues on in some fashion post mortem a... more Attempts to dispel fear of death by claiming that life continues on in some fashion post mortem are commonplace. Such was not, however, the approach adopted by the ancient Epicureans. On the contrary, Epicurus is frequently credited with originating the argument that death is not to be feared, precisely because it is the end of existence. That no person survives his own death is a proposition to which the Epicureans are unquestionably committed. 1 It is also true that Epicurus and his followers consistently represent fear of death as one of the greatest impediments to human flourishing. 2 Nevertheless, Epicurean attitudes toward death and its associated fears turn out to be considerably more nuanced than generally recognized.
This note addresses an emendation in Lucr. 3.295 originally proposed by R. Bentley and endorsed m... more This note addresses an emendation in Lucr. 3.295 originally proposed by R. Bentley and endorsed most recently by E.J. Kenney. I argue that the meaning of this and the preceding line has not been fully appreciated even by those commentators who (rightly) retain the MSS reading. To help elucidate the passage, I point to parallels in Philodemus of Gadara's De ira.
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