Sensation and Sex

by Lucretius

Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves & each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war & revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked & comforted. They have enriched lives & destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals & visionaries whose ideas shook civilization & helped make us who we are. Elegant, insightful & startlingly modern, the philosophy of Lucretius deeply influenced the course of European thought; here, he provides one of the first accounts of atomic theory, argues that there can be no life of the soul after death & explores the sickness that we call love.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Classics, Poetry, History, Sexuality, Ancient History

128 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 58

About the author

Titus Lucretius Carus (c. 99 BC – c. 55 BC) was a Roman poet and philosopher. His only known work is the epic philosophical poem "De Rerum Natura" about the tenets and philosophy of Epicureanism, and which is usually translated into English as On the Nature of Things.

Very little is known about Lucretius's life; the only certain fact is that he was either a friend or client of Gaius Memmius, to whom the poem was addressed and dedicated.

Reviews

[Jon A · Rating 3 out of 5]

spoiler alert : few sensations, no sex.

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This reads more like a dated anatomy book. The only parts that weren't dated were the parts on the soul, morals, and love; you know, stuff science can't touch.

For a book called 'Sensation and Sex' there were surprisingly no steamy sections. The last 10 pages dealt with lust and love (Lucretius suggests avoiding love - it's a desire like hunger without the sustenance of food).

I guess these two essays, the second of which is the titular essay, the first is titled "Body and Mind", are famous for Lucretius's proto-atomic structure analysis. But all the workings of the body, and the explanations he gives are no longer live issues.

I would recommend reading the last 10 pages of both essays, "Body and Mind" has an interesting discourse on why the soul can't be immortal. Lucretius is writing just before the time of Jesus. The last 10 pages of "Sensation and Sex" gives an interesting account of why we shouldn't fall in love.

Update: I forget who translated this volume but I recently excerpts from "On the Nature of Things" as translated by Rolfe Humphries that blows this book out of the water.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is amazing how close Lucretius' model of the atom is to ours. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and - despite its mistakes - have learned a lot about the history of science and philosophy. Lucretius' work is well written and poetic, his logic is fluid and rational, and his stance on how the world works comes from a place of deep and arduous meditation. In Sensation and Sex a denial of the afterlife and the importance of the physical world are revealed to play as important a role in the ancient world as it does in our modern one. Enlightening.

[Vincent Eaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read "The Swerve: How the World Became Modern" about the impact of this long gone writer, thought to pick up a present of his writings quoted in the The Swerve given to me some long while ago, and which I did not know quite what to do with. Now, given time and background, I do. A very modern mind figuring things out before science could figure deeper. And a damn decent, pithy writer to boot.

[Anders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad selection, but the title is a bit misleading. Only the last 4th or so of the book talks about sex and it's a rather dry scientific account of various goings-on. Most of the selection is caught up in these kind of boring scientific accounts (other topics: our senses, the mind, the soul, the body, and how all of them interrelate).

But the beginning is wonderful and if you like to hear an ancient poet parse out a logic to "justify" his scientific beliefs about reality that ultimately bleed into his philosophy then Whoa ho HO have I got a book for you. You get a few, nice didactic speeches as well- "Only an idiot might oppose this logic with common misunderstandings, and say things like, "I'm an idiot!" but you're not an idiot are you? No, no. So let's continue..." Oh and you of course get Democritus, if you're into him and the generation of atomic theory.

[Stephane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't get it and this is the core problem of this collection. Lack of context, of even a short few pages explaining why this book is part of the "Great Ideas" would be amazing. Reading it without context leaves me with the impression of someone who was very creative trying to figure out how our sensations worked and whether or not we live on after we die. What we get is the "magic atom", which flies every which way and does a lot of lifting, without explaining ever how our organs receive said atoms.
Context is everything and this lacks context to make sense of it.

[Graham Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps the best contemporary lesson to take from this is that even if a theory is (pretty-much) internally consistent, it doesn't mean it's not completely wrong. Aside from this I think it's always helpful to be reminded how sophisticated people were even thousands of years ago.

[Tamisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was hilarious

[Aamina · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of atomic theory.

[Gareth Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing insight into an enquiring mind from more than 2000 years ago. Lucretius presents a series of hypotheses about the natural sciences based on close observation. At times, his ideas miss the mark but often, he anticipates sciences greatest revelations - such as the existence and behaviour of atoms. he is, however, a dreadful cynic when it comes to love!

[Geeky Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just the 4th book in On The Nature of Things

[Martin Hare Michno · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not know what to expect reading this but my takeaway is that too many self-proclaimed dialectical materialists sound a bit too much like Lucretius.

[Tyler Simmonds · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me think deeply.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, the language used may be a little dated, it adds to this book's charm.