LATEST LUCRETIUS TODAY PODCAST (focusing on one of our most important topics): Episode 324- "Is Pleasure The Good, Or The Enemy of The Good?" This episode contains particulary-important analysis by Joshua of Plato's Cave analogy. | Website Overview | Forum Navigation Map
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Cassius
PostMarch 20, 2026 at 4:37 PM This podcast will be released either tonight or first thing in the morning.
One comment while editing is that as we go forward we'll try to focus in on what is meant by "efficient cause" in this text. The word cause tends to get lots of modifiers on it in… -
Don
March 20, 2026 at 1:55 PM Replied to the thread Seikilos Poem - Discussion.PostHere's Luke Rainieri singing the epitaph in four historical pronunciations:
youtu.be/AL9KQ-trY00?si=JU9AgdZEDyzlsqm3 -
Kalosyni
March 20, 2026 at 8:52 AM Posted the thread Happy Twentieth of March 2026!.Thread
Happy Twentieth Everyone!
and
Happy Vernal Equinox! -
Cassius
March 19, 2026 at 11:43 AM Posted the thread Good and Bad Desire and Doubt In Epicurean Philosophy.ThreadIntroduction
A correct understanding of Epicurus' views as to desire and doubt is essential to grasping his philosophy as a whole. These should be considered together because it is thought by some that Epicurus held all doubt and all desire to be… -
Eikadistes
March 19, 2026 at 9:50 AM Replied to the thread So You Want To Learn Ancient Greek Or Latin?.Post -
Eikadistes
March 19, 2026 at 9:48 AM Replied to the thread So You Want To Learn Ancient Greek Or Latin?.PostI don't know who needs to know this, but:
Leía means "booty" in ancient Greek.
May the Force be with you. -
Cassius
March 19, 2026 at 9:02 AM Replied to the thread Epicurus vs Kant and Modern Idealism - Introduction.PostThis thread and its timing was prompted in part by the following post which I saw recently on Twitter/X. I am not posting to approve or disapprove of the writer of the post or the person whose death is being referenced - Ari Larijani, an Iranian military… -
Cassius
March 19, 2026 at 8:45 AM Posted the thread Epicurus vs Kant and Modern Idealism - Introduction.ThreadIntroductory Note
This post is intended to provide an introduction to the issues that exist between Epicurus and modern idealism. For ease of reference it also incorporates discussion of Nietzsche's analysis of Kant, which has substantial similarities to… -
Cassius
March 18, 2026 at 9:33 PM Replied to the thread Welcome ThomasJ54!.PostWelcome ThomasJ54! That's a path with which many of us can identify! Glad to have you and let us know if we can be of help in your study. -
Cassius
March 18, 2026 at 9:32 PM Replied to the thread Welcome ThomasJ54!.Postthomasj54 tells us:
HelloI
I'm a 72 year old retired IT professional in Essex England. I've have an intermittent interest in philosophy and religion most of my life. Raised a Catholic I rejected this in my late teens and became agnostic/atheist. I… -
Cassius
March 18, 2026 at 9:31 PM Posted the thread Welcome ThomasJ54!.ThreadWelcome thomasj54
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… -
Eikadistes
March 18, 2026 at 12:28 PM Replied to the thread Seikilos Poem - Discussion.PostAnd not like anyone asked but I'd be remiss if I didn't take a swing at my own translation:While you live, glow!
Suffer you never a sorrow!
For fleeting it is to withstand
the ending that time must demand. -
Eikadistes
March 18, 2026 at 12:27 PM Replied to the thread Seikilos Poem - Discussion.PostAnd for the sake of a visual aid, here's this.
Usually, scholars rearrange the original lines to reinforce the rhyme scheme to students (AABB). Rarely is the lyrical poem analyzed according to the line breaks the poet originally chose.
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Eikadistes
March 18, 2026 at 12:22 PM Replied to the thread Seikilos Poem - Discussion.PostJust to re-iterate what I posted with the picture, I'm re-posting the text.
In a nutshell, my thesis is that most scholars (at least whom I've read in English) have overlooked two mid-word line breaks in the original inscription that I believe were… -
Eikadistes
March 18, 2026 at 12:20 PM Replied to the thread Seikilos Poem - Discussion.Post[…]
That's a great stanza, and awesomely similar to the epitaph, very cool!
You know, I first came across it when I took a Humanities class 20 years ago, and the Greek transcription became my first tattoo a few years later, many years before I took up a… -
Cassius
PostMarch 18, 2026 at 9:05 AM […]
That's his On Signs / On Methods of Inference which we will review on the podcast in the future. Anyone who tries to get started before then and can post commentary will be appreciated. -
TauPhi
March 17, 2026 at 9:38 PM Replied to the thread Seikilos Poem - Discussion.PostThis is cool. I didn't know about its existence. Thank you Eikadistes . It reminds me of something I wrote to myself some time ago. I rarely share my personal scribblings with anyone but I'll make an exception on this occasion:
Radiate, pulsate and be… -
Kalosyni
March 17, 2026 at 5:49 PM Commented on the image Seikilos Poem.Comment (Image/Video)The song is featured in the opening of this play, with the last line subtitle translation as "and Time demands his due"
youtu.be/Zw9QoJXIiXg -
Cassius
March 17, 2026 at 2:36 PM Replied to a comment by Eikadistes on the image Seikilos Poem.Reply (Image/Video)Very interesting Eikadistes and thank you.
I want to be sure that your comments and future discussion are findable so I am setting up this forum thread, which is easier to find using the search function:
Seikilos Poem - Discussion -
Cassius
March 17, 2026 at 2:35 PM Replied to the thread Seikilos Poem - Discussion.Post -
Cassius
March 17, 2026 at 2:34 PM Posted the thread Seikilos Poem - Discussion.Thread -
Eikadistes
March 17, 2026 at 2:03 PM Commented on the image Seikilos Poem.Comment (Image/Video)I just found something really interesting that I wanted to bring up! I include the following in footnotes here. In a nutshell, I find that it is reasonable to suppose that (1) Seikílos was a seasoned composer, and (2) He was a proper Epicurean.
… -
Cassius
March 17, 2026 at 1:46 PM Replied to the thread Circumstantial (Indirect) and Direct Evidence / Dogmatism vs Skepticism.PostRight - the burden of proof issue is certainly relevant to standards of proof so let's discuss that too.
In these philosophic questions does the burden of proof rest on the person asserting something that is contrary to observable evidence? Or on the… -
DaveT
March 17, 2026 at 12:36 PM Replied to the thread Circumstantial (Indirect) and Direct Evidence / Dogmatism vs Skepticism.Post[…]
Perhaps you might also have discussed that in Civil Law cases where “probably” is acceptable.
In criminal cases, people go to prison. Generally, in civil cases which are far more common, you don't go to prison.
And I am suggesting this clarification… -
Kalosyni
PostMarch 17, 2026 at 12:23 PM These two Wikipedia entries seems relevant for this section of Lucretius:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causal_reasoning
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inference
Robert You made an interesting comment in last Sunday's meeting regarding inference, and if I… -
Don
March 16, 2026 at 11:05 PM Replied to the thread Circumstantial (Indirect) and Direct Evidence / Dogmatism vs Skepticism.Post -
Bryan
March 15, 2026 at 4:27 PM Commented on the image Keeping it Fun - Epicurus vs His Philosophical Opponents.Comment (Image/Video)Somewhat related is the fact that "Chorus" is used in Greek for a group in general, so we do have talk of the "The chorus/group of Epicureans (ὁ χορὸς τῶν Ἐπικουρείων)" [Dionysius of Halicarnassus (fl. 20 BCE), On the Composition of Words, 24] --… -
Kalosyni
March 15, 2026 at 2:32 PM Posted the thread Self-Reflection to increase happiness and reduce pain.ThreadHere is a list of areas to reflect upon, for those who feel a need to increase happiness. This list can help guide your reflections, enabling you to identify specific areas that may be causing issues or need adjustment, and you can take your time with… -
Joshua
PostMarch 15, 2026 at 1:42 PM […] -
Cassius
ThreadMarch 15, 2026 at 7:41 AM As in another recent post I just came across this in Nietzsche's "Twilight of the Idols.' It strikes me on first reading as very persuasively consistent with Epicurus' defense of the senses and criticism of what we might call "otherworldliness." I'm… -
Cassius
ThreadMarch 15, 2026 at 7:34 AM I just came across this biting criticism of Socrates and his embrace of dialectice from Nietzsche's "Twilight of The Idols." I'd say a significant number of these arguments are consistent with the Epicureans' criticisms of Socrates. Posting it here for… -
Cassius
ThreadMarch 14, 2026 at 9:38 PM Welcome to Episode 325 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… -
Cassius
ThreadMarch 14, 2026 at 6:49 PM This week we'll start at about line 265 and discuss the implications of the invisibility of atoms:
https://handbook.epicureanfriends.com/sbslucretius/#1-265 -
Kalosyni
March 14, 2026 at 4:34 PM Commented on the image Keeping it Fun - Epicurus vs His Philosophical Opponents.Comment (Image/Video) -
Julia
March 14, 2026 at 4:34 PM Commented on the image Keeping it Fun - Epicurus vs His Philosophical Opponents.Comment (Image/Video)!!! After-Show !!!
starting midnight
featuring
exquisitely doubt-filled
grunge masters
The Sky Hatchlings versus The Golden Calves
on the Emerging Talent Stage! -
Eikadistes
March 14, 2026 at 12:44 PM Replied to a comment by Kalosyni on the image Keeping it Fun - Epicurus vs His Philosophical Opponents.Reply (Image/Video)With AI hiding in every corner, almost as a rule now, I'm purposefully not correcting a certain, small percentage of spelling and grammatical errors I make as a way of demonstrating that I'm not using AI.
Also, "feastival" is more of a happy accident than… -
Cassius
March 14, 2026 at 11:41 AM Replied to the thread Episode 324 - EATAQ 06 - Is Pleasure The Good, Or The Enemy of The Good?.PostEpisode 324 of the Lucretius Today Podcast is now available. This week our episode is entitled: "Is Pleasure The Good, Or The Enemy of The Good?" I want to particularly commend Joshua's references to Socrates' discussion of the cave analogy as… -
Kalosyni
March 14, 2026 at 8:42 AM Commented on the image Keeping it Fun - Epicurus vs His Philosophical Opponents.Comment (Image/Video)Ha-ha, I see that I mis-spelled the word festival, but it made me laugh, so I'm going to leave it.
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Kalosyni
March 14, 2026 at 8:40 AM Uploaded the image Keeping it Fun - Epicurus vs His Philosophical Opponents.Image/Video
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Cassius
March 13, 2026 at 11:27 AM Replied to the thread Circumstantial (Indirect) and Direct Evidence / Dogmatism vs Skepticism.PostAs to Emerson's statements about consistency Joshua reminded me in the most recent podcast (324 - not yet posted as of this writing) about what Cicero had to say in Tusculan Disputations. In this section he's arguing against Epicurus, but what he's… -
Pacatus
March 12, 2026 at 1:30 PM Replied to the thread Tim O'Keefe -- Ouch!.Post[…]
Your “no cookie-cutter” comment in another thread is certainly spot on, and I like the approach you’re suggesting here.
As a – likely beyond-the-pale whimsical* – metaphor, perhaps we could think in terms of a philosophical “clade”:
“In biology, a… -
DavidN
March 12, 2026 at 11:54 AM Replied to the thread Tim O'Keefe -- Ouch!.Post[…]
Ya taking a break from my project, figured I'd come see how everyone is doing. -
Kalosyni
March 12, 2026 at 11:04 AM Replied to the thread Tim O'Keefe -- Ouch!.Post[…]
[…]
I think that the term "Epicurean" can't be applied to someone who only has one single concept that they follow which might be considered "Epicurean". Epicureanism is a collection of specific concepts that guide one's outlook and choices.
This… -
Cassius
March 12, 2026 at 9:49 AM Replied to the thread PD24 - Commentary and Translation of PD 24.PostAll these are difficult issues that everyone has to address, but the first step is seeing that they are in fact issues.
[…]
Certainly if I want brain surgery I am going to look for someone I conclude to be an "expert." Even in recent years regarding such… -
Don
March 11, 2026 at 4:29 PM Replied to the thread Critique of the Control Dichotomy as a Useful Strategy.Post[…]
Well put.
Along those lines, Epicurus himself was experiencing severe pain in his last days but could also call that time blissful (μακαρίαν "blessed" aka like a god) and could experience the pleasure of the "gladness of mind" (χαῖρον a… -
DaveT
March 11, 2026 at 2:33 PM Replied to the thread Tim O'Keefe -- Ouch!.PostI see evidence that Epicurean teachings are far more widespread than many think it to be. Epicurus' name is not attached to the actions and beliefs of people, especially in western, educated, Industrialized, rich, democracies (WEIRD). Just listen to any… -
DaveT
March 11, 2026 at 1:57 PM Replied to the thread PD24 - Commentary and Translation of PD 24.Post[…]
I get it, your view. I lean more to the side that says I don't believe any of those items are true because I have never seen evidence that they are true. Therefore, since I believe them all to be false, I'm not concerned about the amount of evidence I… -
Cassius
March 11, 2026 at 11:42 AM Replied to the thread Tim O'Keefe -- Ouch!.PostAnd it's good to hear from you DavidN! -
DavidN
March 11, 2026 at 11:32 AM Replied to the thread Tim O'Keefe -- Ouch!.PostI think o'keefe is making the same mistake as many enlightenment thinkers, I see the pleonachōs tropos (πλεοναχῶς τρόπος) as a precursor of modern evergreen policies, adaptable to changing information landscapes. To say that his theories… -
Cassius
March 11, 2026 at 8:07 AM Replied to the thread Tim O'Keefe -- Ouch!.Post[…]
"Modern thinkers" are in many cases the problem, not the solution, and you can't make opposites compatible. It would be more accurate to say that it is desirable to use new methods and technologies to explain to such "modern thinkers" as are open to…
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