If you are at all curious about Epicurus, Lucretius, or even philosophy in general, then I strongly recommend that you should read “The Swerve: How the World Became Modern” by Professor Greenblatt of Harvard University. It is not long, not a philosophy lecture, and is very well written and very interesting historically. Professor Greenblatt is a Shakespeare scholar, and his immersion in Shakespeare seems to have had its effect on his writing.
The book has been criticized for ignoring the science that emerged before the 15th Century, but that seems to miss the point (excuse me, critics!). The point is that De rerum natura by Lucretius changed the way that educated, book-reading elites of the Renaissance and thereafter thought of the world and the message of the Church, and encouraged the search for facts and truth. It does not take away anything from the early scientists, like Bacon.
Critics should hold their piece until they’ve read the book and not just the reviews, right? : )
Well, peace anyway! I was trying to address your point without saying you were wrong about the early scientists. You were not wrong, but I think the author is making a rather different point.
Actually, I was chiding myself for bloviating without having read the whole book. Four year-old Will has a great way to correct me when I’m mistaken about anything at all. “Nonna, I don’t want to make you feel bad but your wrong.”