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Cassius
March 27, 2026 at 4:58 PM Replied to the thread Article - David Sedley - 1988 - "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".PostThese are very relevant points Dave and I think about them all the time. Here's my current view.
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I don't think I am violating the no-politics rule by observing that the world is on the brink of WW3 and I would say that a major reason is that most of… -
Cassius
March 27, 2026 at 4:35 PM Replied to the thread Episode 326 - EATAQ 08 - Who Cares About Infinite Divisibility? And Why?.PostEpisode 326 of the Lucretius Today Podcast is now available. This week our episode is entitled: "Who Cares About Infinite Divisibility? And Why?"
[media]https://www.spreaker.com/episode/70936642/media -
Kalosyni
March 27, 2026 at 3:37 PM Replied to the thread Travel Video - Ancient Acropolis and Agora.PostHere's a fun and short travel video in Greece (and they have done other places in the world too).
m.youtube.com/watch?v=GUVshaiJn9I -
DaveT
March 27, 2026 at 3:35 PM Replied to the thread Article - David Sedley - 1988 - "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".Post[…]
I understand your point of view. On the other hand I see progress away from the monarchical God and church appointed governments of the last 250 years. No longer do we accept conquest in the name of god's command to subjugate the earth.
I think there… -
Cassius
March 27, 2026 at 12:43 PM Replied to the thread Article - David Sedley - 1988 - "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".Post[…]
Probably that's the cruc of the issue. There's a wide variety of people here with different backgrounds and interests, but this is primarily a forum for the promotion of Epicurean philosophy, not for philosophy generalists (not placing you in that… -
DaveT
March 27, 2026 at 12:09 PM Replied to the thread Article - David Sedley - 1988 - "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".Post[…]
Cassius, your suspicion is quite incorrect as well as your conclusion. I do think my posts relating to Sedley's interpretations, indeed Lucretius' interpretations and arguments of Epicurus' beliefs need to be balanced and kept in context much better.
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Eikadistes
March 27, 2026 at 8:49 AM Replied to the thread New "TWENTIERS" Website.PostThere's a link to the full transcription of P.Herc. 1005 in the annotations of that page. -
Kalosyni
March 27, 2026 at 7:36 AM Replied to the thread New "TWENTIERS" Website.PostEikadistes Thank you for your work on the Philodemus text! I see over at your link (the Twentiers website), there is this symbol used in the text:
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...which is used when parts of the text are missing. Does the source text give any indication of how… -
Kalosyni
March 27, 2026 at 7:28 AM Replied to the thread VS14 - "Occupied" vs. "Without Allowing Himself Leisure.".Post -
wbernys
March 27, 2026 at 2:08 AM Replied to the thread Welcome J.Tycherne!.PostHello j.tycherne ! Happy to see someone who loves the letter to Menoceus as much as i do, and you're right to love the parts rejecting belief in fate, a belief which does nothing but inflict pessimism and misery on the hearts of mankind. I do my best… -
Martin
March 27, 2026 at 1:42 AM Replied to the thread Welcome J.Tycherne!.PostWelcome J.Tycherne! -
Godfrey
March 26, 2026 at 10:58 PM Replied to the thread Article: Not A Bunker But A Camp: A Response To “The Garden or the Forum”.PostVery well thought out and on point essay Cassius . I was actually quite surprised while reading Pigliucci's essay that he so thoroughly misreads Epicurean philosophy. His essay reads more as Ciceronian snark than as serious scholarship. At any rate,… -
Eikadistes
March 26, 2026 at 8:16 PM Replied to the thread New "TWENTIERS" Website.PostI took a swing at To the Comrades by Philódēmos (P.Herc. 1005). Don did a great job here, and besides our attempts, I'm not familiar with any publications that contain the bulk in English. I'll continue polishing my attempt at a translation for what… -
Eikadistes
March 26, 2026 at 8:13 PM Replied to the thread P.Herc. 1005 from Les Epicuriens (A First Draft Translation).PostI just re-visted this and found some additions!
Nothing major, but I notice there's a fun reference to the "half-gods" or "demi-gods" (Fragment 96) and a few allusions to Leonteús throughout. Several times, as well, I notice the thrice-repeated phrase… -
Cassius
March 26, 2026 at 5:04 PM Replied to the thread Article - David Sedley - 1988 - "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".PostDave, the answer to both of your questions seems to me to be pretty much the same. These things are not "totally subjective" nor are they "just brain chemistry." As the article is discussing, emergent properties like the mind's actions are not… -
DaveT
March 26, 2026 at 3:17 PM Replied to the thread Article - David Sedley - 1988 - "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".Post[…]
Please explain how: "That is philosophically powerful ammunition against the modern dismissal ....as 'merely subjective'". Doesn't each person experience those things based on their own subjective physical and mental state?
Also, please explain how… -
Cassius
ThreadMarch 26, 2026 at 1:57 PM -
Cassius
March 26, 2026 at 1:52 PM Replied to the thread Article - David Sedley - 1988 - "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".PostThanks for your question, Dave. It comes up frequently so I have updated the FAQ. Here's the short version:
Epicurus would be the last person to insist we cling to 2,000-year-old technical details in physics just because he said them. He was emphatically… -
j.tycherne
March 26, 2026 at 11:21 AM Replied to the thread Welcome J.Tycherne!.PostHello all, thanks very much for your kind welcome, and thanks particularly for this list and links to texts on Epicureanism. As I mentioned in my email, I was very much interested by Epicurus' Letter to Menoikeus, which I found in Diogenes Laertius. The… -
Cassius
March 26, 2026 at 11:17 AM Replied to the thread Epicurus Was Not an Atomist (...sort of).PostEikadistes I thought of your article in reading David Sedley's "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism," and I wanted to be sure you saw this.
I don't recall all the details of your article, but I think you'd find the concluding section of Sedley's article… -
DaveT
March 26, 2026 at 11:13 AM Replied to the thread Article - David Sedley - 1988 - "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".PostSorry I missed the discussion on this topic since my observation may already have been raised and answered.
Why should interpretations of Epicurus' thinking on atoms, that is, whether he was either or both a reductionist and/or an anti reductionist, be… -
Cassius
ThreadMarch 26, 2026 at 11:03 AM The following is a quotation translated by David Sedley from Epicurus' On Nature 34.21-2. It comes from Sedley's discussion of "Downward Causation" in how the mind itself can influence the atoms. There are numerous implications that can be drawn from it… -
Cassius
ThreadMarch 26, 2026 at 10:48 AM This week I would like us to take a step back from where we are in Lucretius so that David Sedley can explain the implications of the detail through which we are going about atoms and void. We've talked previously about his article "Epicurus' Refutation… -
Cassius
March 26, 2026 at 10:39 AM Replied to the thread Article - David Sedley - 1988 - "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".PostIn this article Sedley refers several time to aetiology and ontology and discusses which aspect is primary to Epicurus on a particular point. It might help to have this explanation before reading the article (pasted from our good friends at ChatGPT):
The… -
Cassius
March 26, 2026 at 10:20 AM Posted the thread Is Motion A Property or an Event / Accident / Quality of Atoms?.ThreadThis topic was also discussed in a recent zoom meeting. The answer appears debatable, and I see that Sedley's article "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism" has this to say (see especially footnote 29):
Here is the translation from Demetrius Lacon cited on page… -
Cassius
March 26, 2026 at 9:54 AM Added the file David Sedley - "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism" - 1988.FileDiscussion of this article is here.Summary of Main Arguments and Highlights
1. Core Thesis: Epicureanism is Not Fully Reductionist
Sedley’s central claim is that Epicurean philosophy, although grounded in atomism, cannot be understood as a purely
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Cassius
March 26, 2026 at 9:32 AM Replied to the thread Article - David Sedley - 1988 - "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".PostThere's a LOT of interest in that article. Here's a section that both interesting and "funny" as to what should probably be our love-hate relationship with Cyril Bailey:
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Cassius
PostMarch 26, 2026 at 9:27 AM -
Cassius
March 26, 2026 at 9:13 AM Posted the thread Article - David Sedley - 1988 - "Epicurean Anti-Reductionism".ThreadWe've referenced many times on the forum the comments about this topic made by David Sedley in his "Epicurus' Refutation of Determinism."
I don't think we previously cited - or that I knew of - an article Dr. Sedley had written directly on point:
Epicurean… -
Cassius
March 26, 2026 at 7:02 AM Posted the thread The Size Of Atoms (And Their Differences).ThreadAmong the topics we discussed in a zoom last night was what does Epicurus say about atomic size whether there a finite range of atomic sizes? The following is AI so take it only as a possible starting point.Atomic Size (μέγεθος) in the Letter to
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Cassius
March 26, 2026 at 6:58 AM Posted the thread The Weight Of Atoms (Are All The Same Weight?).ThreadLast night in our zoom the question came up as to whether Epicurus held that atoms differ in weight. This is what AI has to say - take it for what its worth and let's discuss whether they differ in weight or not.Atomic Weight (βάρος) in Epicurean
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Cassius
PostMarch 26, 2026 at 6:43 AM Another option:
Sedley's Routledge Encyclopedia entry (2005) states that "atoms themselves have only the primary or ineliminable features of body: size, shape and weight," and that the ground for this parsimony is the Letter to Herodotus §54–55:… -
Cassius
PostMarch 26, 2026 at 6:40 AM Again - consider these as initial drafts that will need further revision!
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Cassius
ThreadMarch 26, 2026 at 5:57 AM In our Zoom of 3/25/26 we discussed the topic of this thread and how it would be desirable to prepare a diagram / explanation of the proper use of these terms. Bryan has by far the best command of this and he has provided some basic information from… -
Cassius
March 25, 2026 at 7:37 PM Replied to the thread Welcome J.Tycherne!.PostJ.Tycherne tells us -
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Cassius
March 25, 2026 at 7:37 PM Posted the thread Welcome J.Tycherne!.ThreadWelcome j.tycherne
There is one last step to complete your registration:
All new registrants must post a response to this message here in this welcome thread (we do this in order to minimize spam registrations).
You must post your response within 24… -
Cassius
March 25, 2026 at 7:24 PM Replied to the thread Article: Not A Bunker But A Camp: A Response To “The Garden or the Forum”.PostThanks Joshua I will incorporate that! -
Joshua
March 25, 2026 at 7:18 PM Replied to the thread Article: Not A Bunker But A Camp: A Response To “The Garden or the Forum”.PostThat was well done, Cassius , and I only have one note; I would suggest replacing the reference to Christian 'inner peace' in section I with a citation instead to Philippians 4:7, and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding. Christianity does… -
Cassius
March 25, 2026 at 6:20 PM Replied to the thread Article: Not A Bunker But A Camp: A Response To “The Garden or the Forum”.Post[…]
Unfortunately my experience tells me to expect just the opposite as to who the "professionals in the field" can be expected to say is misguided. Although I am no Academic myself, it's my observation that Pigliucci's position is in fact the majority… -
DaveT
March 25, 2026 at 3:04 PM Replied to the thread Article: Not A Bunker But A Camp: A Response To “The Garden or the Forum”.PostCassius I respect your inclinations and wouldn't try to change your thoughts on widening the issue of a Stoic vs Epicurean duty to engage. As you confirmed, I think there is little likelihood to gain agreement between debaters, and frankly why should… -
Patrikios
March 25, 2026 at 1:42 PM Commented on the image Postcard of Epigram 27.Comment (Image/Video)Eikadistes ,
What a clever way to showcase a verse from ancient writings! It is catchy, and gives a better feel to what type of invitation was being conveyed in that epigram. More importantly, I loved how you took historical facts and put them into… -
Kalosyni
March 25, 2026 at 1:39 PM Replied to the thread Causes of Happiness.PostHappiness causes, which (according to the above article) are unique to each person, meaning that the specifics and the quantities are variable and different for each person - there is no "one-size-fits-all" prescription for happiness. And this also… -
Patrikios
March 25, 2026 at 1:28 PM Replied to the thread Sunday March 22, 2026 - Zoom Meeting - Lucretius Book Review - Starting Book One Line 265.Post[…]
Cassius
As we discussed today, there is a recent 2026 publication that deals with concepts, including anticipatory concepts; e.g. preconceptions (prolēpseis).
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As Epicurus taught, to know what is real or true, we must return to the "Tripod of Truth… -
Cassius
March 25, 2026 at 12:53 PM Replied to the thread Article: Not A Bunker But A Camp: A Response To “The Garden or the Forum”.Post[…]
It's an interesting question. I am not opposed to doing that at some point, and in fact I expect to do more interviews/discussions as we've done on the podcast in the past, but I need to think through exactly if and when debating with someone… -
DaveT
March 25, 2026 at 12:27 PM Replied to the thread Article: Not A Bunker But A Camp: A Response To “The Garden or the Forum”.PostCassius Complements on your thorough refutation of Pigliucci's article on the duty to engage among Stoics. I wish you and he could engage in a scholarly journal on issues he asserted and your response. Any ideas on how to initiate something like that? -
Cassius
March 25, 2026 at 7:40 AM Replied to the thread Article: Not A Bunker But A Camp: A Response To “The Garden or the Forum”.Post[…]
I may change that but have not thought it through. -
Don
March 25, 2026 at 6:46 AM Replied to the thread Article: Not A Bunker But A Camp: A Response To “The Garden or the Forum”.PostI see you don't allow comments on Substack. That's a shame. I'd really be curious to see Pigliucci's response to your response. I did see someone posted your link to his comments. -
Don
March 25, 2026 at 6:26 AM Replied to the thread Article: Not A Bunker But A Camp: A Response To “The Garden or the Forum”.PostWell done!!
Oddly enough, this came up on my Substack feed before I saw it here, and I started reading. Really enjoyed it. Kept thinking, I have to share this on the forum. Got to the end, and at that point realized it was Cassius's!
Great response to… -
Cassius
March 25, 2026 at 12:33 AM Replied to the thread Article: Not A Bunker But A Camp: A Response To “The Garden or the Forum”.PostThank you Tau Phi.
Many of our EpicureanFriends participants arrived here after traveling through Stoicism - myself included. Many open-minded people read the Stoic materials and it's probably a good means of exposure for us to at least occasionally… -
TauPhi
March 24, 2026 at 9:26 PM Replied to the thread Article: Not A Bunker But A Camp: A Response To “The Garden or the Forum”.PostI usually avoid philosophical skirmishes because they tend to lead to 'my god is better than your god' scenarios but I want to give credit where credit is due. I really enjoyed your response Cassius . This is a very well written article and the…
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