archives@tulane.edu / This study focuses on the ways in which Lucretius instructs us to read his philosophic poem, De rerum natura. Taking our bearings from a little-studied digression in the poem on the types of readers for whom Lucretius writes, we find many passages in which an ostensibly materialist argument gives way to reveal metaphoric applications of what is traditionally taken to be Epicurean theory. Proceeding this way, we hope to establish the possibility that Lucretius can be read as putting Epicureanism to his own use, not just as a poet in search of a topic, but as a philosopher revealing a nuanced understanding of human nature and its need for assurance. We take a close look at Lucretius’ arguments for void, free will, the substance of the soul, his refutation of the myth of the Magna Mater, his mockery of erotic love, his theme centering on utilitas, and finally his statements about Epicurus throughout the poem. Through this novel investigation of key moments and images, we try to establish a serious gap between Lucretius and Epicurus, wherein Lucretius critiques what he presents as a dogmatic program that fails to account for the human being. In doing so, Lucretius points the way to a deeper teaching about the place of the human in nature, the difficulty of seeing nature itself without reference to human interest, and the challenge to materialism of coming to self-knowledge. Ultimately, we argue, Lucretius goes beyond the confident safety of Epicureanism and arrives at his own more zetetic philosophy. / 1 / Alexander Frank Limanowski

The discovery of Philodemus' library was a considerable contribution to our knowledge of the Epicurean philosophy. It was excavated two centuries ago at Herculaneum, where the Epicureans settled their school in the first century B.C. The library contains a large number of papyri, among which are works of Philodemus; these documents on religion, logic, and morality, as expounded by the Epicureans. Until the present, such aspects of that singular philosophy were known only from a few testimonia of ancient critics, namely, Diogenes Laertius, Sextus Empiricus, and Cicero. At present, the discovery of the treatises of Philodemus allows us to comprehend thoroughly not only the Epicurean doctrines, but also their intentions and aims. The works of Philodemus were published for the first time at the beginning of the 20th century. Since that time they have been sadly neglected by scholars, with the exception of some Ph.D. dissertations which treat of some parts of Philodemus' philosophical and poetical works. A large part of his works, however, still remains unknown to most classicists. Recently, a new interest in the Philodemian corpus has arisen among classical philologists. I became acquainted with Philodemus' philosophical treatises during the course which I took last winter with Professor H. Jones, in which we studied the De rerum Natura of Lucretius. An assignment, Philodemus as a philosopher and poet, stimulated me to engage in a study of his moral treatises, and more generally of the Epicurean philosophy. In this thesis I intend to present Philodemus' views on the role of frankness in the life of the Epicurean; his observations concerning the life of practicality, resourcefulness, and prudent household management; and his thoughts on the nature of death. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

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I begin by offering an account of two key strains in the history of philosophical dealings with death. Both strains initially seek to diminish fear of death by appealing to the idea that death is simply the separation of the soul from the body. According to the Platonic strain, death should not be feared since the soul will have a prolonged existence free from the bodily prison after death. With several dramatic modifications, this is the strain that is taken up by much of the mainstream Christian tradition. According to the Epicurean strain, death should not be feared since the tiny pthesiss that make up the soul leave the body and are dispersed at the moment of death, leaving behind no subject to experience any evil that might be associated with death. Although informed by millennia of further scientific discovery, this is the strain picked up on by contemporary atheistic, technologically advanced mankind. My primary goal is to demonstrate that philosophy has an often-overlooked alternative to viewing death in terms of this ancient dichotomy. This is the alternative championed by Søren Kierkegaard and Martin Heidegger. Although both thinkers arise from the Christian tradition, they clearly react to Epicurean insights about death in their work, thereby prescribing a peculiar way of living with death that the Christian tradition seems to have forgotten about. Despite the association of Kierkegaard and Heidegger, there is a fundamental difference between them on the subject of death. In Being and Time Heidegger seems to rely on the phenomenology of death that Kierkegaard provides in texts such as "At a Graveside." It is interesting to notice, however, that this discourse, especially when seen in the light of Kierkegaard's more obviously religious works, might only be compelling to the aspiring Christian. If so, then perhaps there is a tension in both Heidegger's "methodologically atheistic" appropriation of Kierkegaard's ideas about death, and Heidegger's attempt to make these ideas compelling to the aspiring human. My secondary goal is to determine whether Heidegger takes the "existential philosophy of death" too far when he incorporates it into his early ontological project.

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1 ABSTRACT Title: Calmness of Heart as Topos of the Epicurean Lifestyle Reflected in the Biographical Narration of Contemporaries Author: Pavlína Havlová Department: Oral History - Contemprorary History Supervisor: Mgr. David Bartoň Abstract: The proposed diploma thesis focuses on the presence of the Epicurean tradition in the biographical narration of selected contemporaries. The main emphasis is laid on substantiating relatedness between the thoughts that were formulated by the Greek thinker Epicurus at the turn of 3rd and 4th century BC and the values and lifestyle of the given individuals. The theoretical basis of the thesis is Epicurus's Letter to Menoeceus, which contains the explication of human life and ethics in particular. Based on the analysis of the letter, four general topics were defined (sobriety, moderation, internal and external lifestyle). These topics served as starting points for the interviews that also enabled their analysis and interpretation. The interviews were recorded using the oral history method, which facilitates individual approach to the scrutiny of biographical narration of selected contemporaries. Keywords: Epicurus, Epicurean, Ethics, Character, Sensibility (Temperance and Sobriety, Sophrosyne resp.), Happiness (Well-fare/Flourishing, Eudaimonia resp.), Moderation...

La tesi si occupa di verificare l’influenza che i classici greci e latini hanno esercitato su i padri fondatori americani e più in particolare su Thomas Jefferson. La prima sezione tratteggia il contesto universitario e lo studio delle lingue classiche tra seicento e settecento, comprendendo non solo le università inglesi (Oxford e Cambridge) e scozzesi, ma anche i nuovi college nati nelle colonie americane. Tale analisi dei modelli e delle pratiche educative ha permesso, in effetti, di comprendere meglio l’influenza dei classici sui rivoluzionari americani. Nello specifico viene scandagliata a fondo l’educazione ricevuta da Jefferson. Tra i numerosi spunti di studio aperti da codesto argomento, il lavoro si concentra sulle modalità con cui i classici gli furono insegnati, sul suo Commonplace Book (una raccolta di brani tratti in parte da autori antichi letti in giovinezza) e su documentazione epistolare. Quest’ultima è oggetto particolare di studio, allo scopo di scoprire quali opere antiche Jefferson, in età adulta e durante la vecchiaia, lesse e apprezzò. Essendo un collezionista di libri, comprò moltissimi testi classici come dimostrano alcuni suoi manoscritti. Nonostante manchino dati precisi a riguardo, risulta inoltre che Jefferson, benché facesse largo uso di traduzioni, preferiva leggere in originale e che probabilmente abbia letto la maggior parte di questi libri durante il ritiro dalla vita politica. La seconda parte della tesi si concentra, invece, a indagare quanto la sua educazione classica abbia contributo alla formazione della sua personalità e delle sue idee, nonché alla forma stessa del suo pensiero in merito ad alcune tematiche. Lo studio è di conseguenza dedicato all’esperienza umana di Jefferson, in particolare alla sua riflessione sulla morte e sull’eternità, temi fortemente legati alla sua ricezione di idee epicuree e stoiche. Epicureismo e Stoicismo rappresentano, in definitiva, i due sistemi filosofici antichi che hanno maggiormente influenzato la sua personalità e il suo pensiero. / The aim of the present work is to evaluate the impact of the ancient classics on the American Founding Fathers, with a particular focus on Thomas Jefferson. The first section gives a wide portrait of the academic context in which the Founders were educated, comprising not only of Oxford, Cambridge, and the Scottish universities, but also the colonial colleges. The evaluation of the educational practices in use at the time makes it possible to understand better the classical impact on revolutionary Americans. In particular, this analysis studies in depth Jefferson's education. Of the many possible perspectives and approaches to this topic, the present work focuses on the way ancient classics were taught to him, his Commonplace Book, which reports part of the ancient classics he read during his youth, and his correspondence. The latter has been studied especially to understand which other ancient writers he read, valued, and esteemed in his adulthood and old age. As book collector, Jefferson bought an incredible number of ancient classics, as attested by a few manuscripts of his book lists. Despite the dearth of sure evidence, it is very likely that he read the ancient works largely during his retirement. He loved reading them in the original, though he made great use of translations. The second part of this work is dedicated to investigating how Jefferson's classical education contributed to the building of his personality and ideas, as well as how he elaborated specific classical themes in his own life. The study is thus focused on Jefferson's personal human experience, specifically on his reflection on human mortality and the afterlife. These themes, indeed, are strictly linked to his reception of Epicurean and Stoic tenets, the two ancient philosophical systems which had the greatest and most profound impact on Jefferson's personality and thought.