Episode 274 - TD04 - Is The Soul Held Down By The Body, And Does Death Allow The Soul To Ascend To A Better Place?

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    Welcome to Episode 274 of Lucretius Today. This is a podcast dedicated to the poet Lucretius, who wrote "On The Nature of Things," the most 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 we discuss this and all of our podcast episodes.

    This week we continue our series covering Cicero's "Tusculan Disputations" from an Epicurean viewpoint. This series addresses five of the greatest questions in philosophy, with Cicero speaking for the majority and Epicurus the main opponent:

    1. Is Death An Evil? (Cicero says no and Epicurus says no, but for very different reasons)
    2. Is Pain An Evil? (Cicero says no, Epicurus says yes)
    3. Does the Wise Man Experience Grief and Fear? (Cicero says no, Epicurus says yes)
    4. Does the Wise Man Experience Joy and Desire? (Cicero says no, Epicurus says yes)
    5. Is Virtue Sufficient For A Happy Life? (Cicero says yes, Epicurus says no)

    As we found in Cicero's "On Ends" and "On The Nature of the Gods," Cicero treated Epicurean Philosophy as a major contender in the battle between the philosophies, and in discussing this conflict and explaining Epicurus' answers to these questions, we will deepen our understanding of Epicurus and how he compares to the other major schools.

    These week we continue with "Is Death An Evil," and we will pick up where we left off in Section XIIWelcome to Episode 273 of Lucretius Today. This is a podcast dedicated to the poet Lucretius, who wrote "On The Nature of Things," the most 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 we discuss this and all of our podcast episodes.

    This week we continue our series covering Cicero's "Tusculan Disputations" from an Epicurean viewpoint. This series addresses five of the greatest questions in philosophy, with Cicero speaking for the majority and Epicurus the main opponent:

    1. Is Death An Evil? (Cicero says no and Epicurus says no, but for very different reasons)
    2. Is Pain An Evil? (Cicero says no, Epicurus says yes)
    3. Does the Wise Man Experience Grief and Fear? (Cicero says no, Epicurus says yes)
    4. Does the Wise Man Experience Joy and Desire? (Cicero says no, Epicurus says yes)
    5. Is Virtue Sufficient For A Happy Life? (Cicero says yes, Epicurus says no)

    As we found in Cicero's "On Ends" and "On The Nature of the Gods," Cicero treated Epicurean Philosophy as a major contender in the battle between the philosophies, and in discussing this conflict and explaining Epicurus' answers to these questions, we will deepen our understanding of Epicurus and how he compares to the other major schools.

    These week we turn our attention further to "Is Death An Evil," and we will read beginning in Section XVII where the discussion continues with more about the Pythagorean / Platonic view of the human soul.


    Our general discussion guide for Tusculun Disputations is here: https://handbook.epicureanfriends.com/notes/epicurea…html#org0c11d2e

    And a side-by-side version with comments is here: https://epicureanfriends.github.io/tusculundisput…glish/section:5


    "Is Cicero Right That Death a Better Place?"

    I'm not saying Cicero uses the word, but if anyone tries to say something like "the afterlife is a utopia" remember that utopia literally means "no-place." Coined from Ancient Greek οὐ (ou, “not”) + τόπος (tópos, “place, region”). It's not spelled eutopia "good place." The afterlife is not a place, it does not exist. We do not exist after our death other than in the memories of the living. Make an effort to be memorable to your family, your friends. Be the best parent, partner, and friend you can be. That is your afterlife.

  • Cassius April 4, 2025 at 10:00 AM

    Changed the title of the thread from “Episode 274 - Is Cicero Right That Death a Better Place? - TD04” to “Episode 274 - Is The Soul Held Down By The Body And Death Allow The Soul To Ascend To A Better Place? - TD04”.

    Episode 274 of the Lucretius Today Podcast is now available. Today's episode is entitled: "Is The Soul Held Down By The Body And Death Allow The Soul To Ascend To A Better Place? " as we proceed further into part one of Tusculan Disputations

  • Cassius June 22, 2025 at 4:10 PM

    Changed the title of the thread from “Episode 274 - Is The Soul Held Down By The Body And Death Allow The Soul To Ascend To A Better Place? - TD04” to “Episode 274 - TD04 - Is The Soul Held Down By The Body, And Does Death Allow The Soul To Ascend To A Better Place?”.

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