Welcome to Episode 171 of Lucretius Today. This is a podcast dedicated to the poet Lucretius, who wrote "On The Nature of Things," the only complete presentation of Epicurean philosophy left to us from the ancient world. Each week we walk you through the Epicurean texts, and we discuss how Epicurean philosophy can apply to you today. If you find the Epicurean worldview attractive, we invite you to join us in the study of Epicurus at EpicureanFriends.com, where you will find a discussion thread for each of our podcast episodes and many other topics.
We are now in the process of a series of podcasts intended to provide a general overview of Epicurean philosophy based on the organizational structure employed by Norman DeWitt in his book "Epicurus and His Philosophy."
This week we begin our discussion of Chapter 11, entitled "Soul, Sensation, and Mind."
- The Body A Vessel
- Cosensitivity Of Soul And Body
- Rational And Irrational Soul
- The Workings Of Sensation
- Vision
- Hearing
- Mind As A Supersense
- Emotional Impulses
- Motor Impulses
- Mind
I just found this, and a brings up newest science of understanding how the brain is the source of the mind and soul:
Researchers have discovered a connection between the brain areas controlling movement and those involved in thinking, planning, and involuntary bodily functions like blood pressure and heartbeat. The findings suggest a literal linkage between body and mind in the brain’s structure. Researchers named this newly identified network the Somato-Cognitive Action Network (SCAN). This study may help explain phenomena such as anxiety-induced pacing, the effects of vagus nerve stimulation on depression, and the positive outlook reported by regular exercisers.
Source: https://scitechdaily.com/hidden-linkage…ilt-into-brain/
And also another article:
"Modern neuroscience does not include any kind of mind-body dualism. It's not compatible with being a serious neuroscientist nowadays. I'm not a philosopher, but one succinct statement I like is saying, 'The mind is what the brain does.' The sum of the bio-computational functions of the brain makes up 'the mind,'" said study senior author Nico Dosenbach, a neurology professor at Washington University School of Medicine.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/scie…ain-2023-04-19/
(mentioned in this episode)
“Although many of us think of ourselves as thinking creatures that feel, biologically we are feeling creatures that think”
— Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, Neuroscientist and author of My Stroke of Insight.
Episode 171 of the podcast is now available!
On Joshua's mention of feral children:
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Mocking Epithets 1
- Bryan
July 4, 2025 at 3:01 PM - Comparing Epicurus With Other Philosophers - General Discussion
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July 4, 2025 at 6:43 PM
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Best Lucretius translation? 12
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June 19, 2025 at 8:40 AM - General Discussion of "On The Nature of Things"
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July 1, 2025 at 1:59 PM
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Philodemus' "On Anger" - General - Texts and Resources 19
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April 1, 2022 at 5:36 PM - Philodemus On Anger
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June 30, 2025 at 8:54 AM
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The Religion of Nature - as supported by Lucretius' De Rerum Natura 4
- Kalosyni
June 12, 2025 at 12:03 PM - General Discussion of "On The Nature of Things"
- Kalosyni
June 23, 2025 at 12:36 AM
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June 23, 2025 at 12:36 AM
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New Blog Post From Elli - " Fanaticism and the Danger of Dogmatism in Political and Religious Thought: An Epicurean Reading"
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June 20, 2025 at 4:31 PM - Epicurus vs Abraham (Judaism, Christianity, Islam)
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June 20, 2025 at 4:31 PM
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