History https://www.peren-revues.fr/revue-k/1194 Entrées d’index fr 0 Dark Lucretius: The Birth of Death https://www.peren-revues.fr/revue-k/1191 This paper argues that Lucretius ended his epic poem De Rerum Natura with the death of the world and the plague at Athens because he was not merely a philosopher of life and creativity as many scholars believe. For Lucretius, the entropic processes of death and dissolution are the origins of creativity and life. I also argue, against the Epicurean interpretation of Lucretius, that the conclusion of De Rerum Natura shows how different the two thinkers were. In particular, the article looks closely at lines 91-234 of book five and offers an alternative interpretation of Lucretius’ philosophy of history and death in which the ending of the book fits perfectly not despite its darkness but because of it. ven., 02 févr. 2024 11:21:07 +0100 mar., 13 févr. 2024 12:29:17 +0100 https://www.peren-revues.fr/revue-k/1191