›Amicus Lucretius‹: Gassendi, il ›De rerum natura‹ e l'edonismo cristiano

›Amicus Lucretius‹: Gassendi, il ›De rerum natura‹ e l'edonismo cristiano

Enrico Piergiacomi

Volume 5 in the series CICERO

About this book

Open Access

Many scholars have studied the dialogue between the Epicurean tradition and Pierre Gassendi. However, no one so far has ever attempted to conduct a full analysis of the latter’s specific reception of Lucretius. The book attempts to show that Gassendi was the first to discuss almost the whole De rerum natura, as part of an ambitious project. He sought to provide a Christianized version of Lucretius’ theory or to develop an atomistic worldview “freed” from the many dangerous errors that were often imputed to atomism (impiety, debauchery, and irrationality). In particular, Gassendi developed a dialectical strategy that led him to recover a providential atomism, an Epicurean psychology that saves the immortality of the soul, and a Christian hedonism from the De rerum natura. The last goal was especially important. Gassendi here emerges as the culmination of a tradition of Christian philosophers, like Lorenzo Valla and Erasmus of Rotterdam, who have tried to merge Epicurean hedonism with the Christian religion. The volume could therefore attract both scholars of Antiquity and Renaissance/modern philosophy. It is also a rewarding reading for scholars of the reception of Latin poetry from a philosophical perspective.

Author information

Enrico Piergiacomi, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.

• Language: Italian
• Publisher: De Gruyter
• Copyright year: 2022
• Audience: Scholars of ancient and early modern thought, Epicurean tradition, theology, moral philosophy, and reception of Latin poetry
• Pages
  • Front matter: 8
  • Main content: 459
• Keywords: Atomism; theology; christianity; hedonism

eBook

• Published: October 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9783110768084

Hardcover

• Published: October 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9783110767216

Frontmatter
Publicly Available

	I
Premessa Publicly Available

	VII
Sommario Publicly Available

	IX
Introduzione Open Access

	1
1 L’analisi di Epicuro e Lucrezio prima di Gassendi Open Access

	16
2 Lucrezio il poeta-filosofo secondo Gassendi Open Access

	83
3 Un atomismo provvidenziale. La fisica di Gassendi Open Access

	124
4 Lucrezio e Gassendi sulla natura dell’anima Open Access

	191
5 Dio crea il piacere. Per un «edonismo cristiano Open Access

	250
Conclusioni: Amicus Lucretius, sed magis amicus Christus Open Access

	313
Appendice: Inventario delle citazioni da Lucrezio in Gassendi (Totale: 6249 su 7415 versi = 84,28%) Open Access

	323
Abbreviazioni Open Access

	345
Bibliografia Open Access

	347
Indice delle citazioni da Lucrezio Open Access

	401
Indice delle citazioni da Gassendi Open Access

	411
Indice da altre fonti antiche e moderne Open Access

	427
Indice dei nomi Open Access