Customer Reviews

On the Nature of the Universe (Penguin Classics)

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Having undertaken the task of translating large chunks of De Rerum Natura, I was directed to this translation of the text in order to help me fill in the gaps present in the Latin selections. (And this means that I have not only translated much of the text myself, but have been forced to submit COMMENTARY on my understanding of Lucretius.) This translation by Latham fulfils my needs well and is good on several levels: it is close to the literal (and very raw) translation from the original Latin text, while at the same time providing the reader with an...aura of poetic mastery present in Lucretius' writing. This text can only seem boring when compared to contemporary "fluff"--in truth, it is a masterful translation of the most exhilarating work, one that deals not only with the issue of Death, but with the difficulty of Existence. Read for yourself!

Lucretius's arguments for his atomic theory and the "swerve" are paragons of lucidity. It's a good thing I had physics in school, I was very nearly converted anyway. The section dealing with love is one of the most beautiful things I have ever read. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading elegant ideas beautifully expressed, or beautiful ideas elegantly expressed.

Lucretius's book is an important text in the history of mankind.
Its basic philosophy is Epicureanism: `If a man would guide his life by true philosophy, he will find ample riches in a modest livelihood enjoyed with a tranquil mind', because `greed and lust of power make man unhappy. The kings were killed!'
Lucretius adopts the method of logical deduction in his scientific research (e.g., why a centaur cannot exist).
He is a perfect materialist, even a physicalist. For him, there was never a body/mind problem: `the mind, which we often call the intellect, is part of man, no less than hand or foot or eyes.' Mind and spirit are both composed of matter only. `Vain is the suggestion that the spirit is immortal.'
He was even a proto-Darwinist: `monstrous and misshapen births were created. Nature debarred them from increase', and an anti-creationist (see title).
He was fiercely against religion, which he called pure superstition: `Iphigenia, a sinless victim to a sinful rite. Such are the heights of wickedness to which men are driven by superstition.'
`The universe was certainly not created for us by divine power. It is so full of imperfections. Why do changing seasons bring pestilence?'
Piety is pure Phariseism: `This is not piety, this kowtowing and prostration on the ground. For all his prayers, the tornado does not relax.'
He is a fine psychologist: `Look at man in the midst of doubt and danger and you will learn in his hour of adversity what he really is. The mask is torn off.'
His forceful painting of the Athenian plague in 430 B.C. is worth a Boccaccio.

Of course, this book is partly very naïve. But it constitutes a milestone in Western philosophy, as it is the product of totally independent, religion-free speculation, written by a superb free mind.
A must read for all historians of science and philosophy, and lovers of classical literature.

This book was a real eye-opener. I went into it expecting to read something ancient, but instead found something that sounded suspiciously modern. It was like reading an ancient prophecy of the worldview of many of today's scientists.

This makes me wonder. If the view that all things are the unplanned results of blind forces is a discovery of modern science, then why were people like Lucretius proclaiming it 2000 years ago? Far from making Lucretius prophetic, this makes some of modern science seem like a type of Epicureanism. It would be interesting to know how much of science's view of the nature of the universe owes its origin to philosophy as opposed to observation.

I appreciate Penguin Classics for putting out a very easy and readable prose version of Lucretius's poem. Unlike some of the other reviewers of this version, I recommend it highly. It's the right choice for anyone who's interested in getting to what Lucretius said without having to wade through a bunch of poetry to do it.

Confusingly, Penguin has published two versions of On the Nature
of the Universe by Lucretius, each of them translated by Ronald
Latham. The (out of print) 1951 version also includes an
Introduction by Latham. The 1994 version (currently in print and
for sale here) replaces Latham's introduction with one by John
Godwin.

Latham's introduction is impressive and makes the 1951 version
the one to read. (The front cover of that edition features a
portrait of an ordinary Roman woman from a fresco.) In twelve and
a half pages, Latham concisely introduces Lucretius, his life and
times, outlines the philosophy of Epicurus, and addresses the
difficulties he faced as translator. Penguin classics often
feature an introduction, and Latham's is one of the best I have
read. Why did Penguin replace it?

From what I can read via amazon's Look Inside feature, the Godwin
introduction in the current edition appears adequate. And Godwin
does offer a detailed bibliography absent in the 1951 edition.
However, there are two additional reasons to prefer the 1951
edition. First, both Latham and Godwin offer a synopsis of the
work, yet Latham's is more detailed and useful. Likewise, both
versions offer an index, but Latham's is longer and far more
comprehensive.

Lucretius expounds the epicurean philosophy in this book. No one could have done it better. It is clear, logical and understandable. The book is far and away better than all atheistic and materialistic books ever written. Lucretius not only shows that reality is eternal and infinite, having no need of a creator. He argues that one does not need religion and is better off without it. He shows that life is to be enjoyed and that death is blessed nothingness,eternal freedom from suffering. The latter parts of the book deal with intriguing speculations on natural phenomena. While other books on atheism and materialism give one the impression that if god existed,the writers would be his slavish followers. Lucretius does not deny the existance of the gods ie; zeus,jesus, buddha, etc. He simply argues they are not needed. It is better not to exist than it is to exist, he argues. Although it is true he writes, that one should live out his natural life. It is a pity that this book is not mentioned in many critiques on god and the supernatural life. It belongs in the top ten of the greatest books ever written.

This is my favorite book. I've been through three different copies: a now out-of-print Classics Club copy, the Loeb Classics Library copy with the original Latin facing the English text, and this Penguin edition. The Penguin is by far the worst of those three. Among its faults is the fact that it's translated into prose, which makes for an easier read but in the end dumbs down the text and reduces it in beauty; and while the footnotes are sometimes informative, most of them I find insulting to both the reader's and Lucretius's intelligence. Go with the Loeb, or some other edition; chances are it's better than this one.

Do not buy this book. I did, and I can't read this tedious translation of a great writer without falling asleep. Buy, instead, the version titled The Way things Are, a brilliant translation. I wish I had known about it before I bought this one.

Lucretius' work "On the Nature of the Universe" is surely one of the seminal works in the history of science. His analysis (some of which was deductive, some inductive) anticipated modern scientific theories by about 1800 years. His statement of what became the First and Second laws of Thermodynamics, his anticipation of the Cosmological Principle, along with some of the Laws of Motion (if I remember correctly), are absolutely astounding. It just goes to show that people living 2000 years ago were just as observant and intelligible as people are today (if not more so). On top of the science that is contained in the work, the fact that it was originally composed in poetic form makes it even more praiseworthy. Furthermore, the prose translation is outstanding. I've never read a translation of an ancient philosophical work that was as easy to read as this one was. Being a Christian, I cannot accept his atheistic presuppositions, but I can certainly appreciate his work as being vital to the development of philosophy. He certainly raised some very interesting and important questions that people have struggled to answer and come to grips with since Lucretius' time. I would recommend this book to anybody with an interest in philosophy and science.

I don't often write reviews of purchases, but in this case, I feel somewhat compelled to do so; there are several editions and translations of this work available, but only the 1951 version has the scholarly heft to truly make Lucretius' thoughts accessible to the modern reader. Yes, it reduces (if that's the word) the poetic structure of the original to prose form; but compared to the much more recent translation, which seems more in love with form than content, it is a more accurate rendition of the ideas expressed than any other version available.

There are several variants of this text available through Penguin, but only the original 1951 translation by Ronald (R.E.) Latham is worth owning, complete with Latham's invaluable overview of what little is known of Lucretius' life, and a detailed synopsis of the text's main arguments. Other versions omit some of Latham's prefatory material, which really mars the overall success of the work. Certainly some will disagree with this assessment, but as far as I'm concerned, this is the only version of Lucretius' groundbreaking and prescient work that really does authentic justice to the concepts, ideas, and general tone of the original work.