Source edition
Epicurus. Epicuri epistulae tres et ratae sententiae a Laertio Diogene Servatae. von der Mühll, Peter, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1922.
Source data
Open Greek and Latin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is a letter written by the philosopher Epicurus to his disciple Pythocles, focusing on the study of celestial and meteorological phenomena. The author emphasizes the method of multiple explanations, arguing that various physical causes can simultaneously account for a single phenomenon. At the outset, Epicurus declares that the ultimate goal of studying nature is to achieve peace of mind (ataraxia) by eliminating superstitious fears. In the main body, he applies this scientific approach to a wide range of phenomena, including the movements of celestial bodies, eclipses, thunder, earthquakes, and various weather patterns, explaining them through physical processes like atomic collisions. Finally, the letter concludes with an exhortation to Pythocles to dedicate himself to the principles of natural philosophy and free his mind from myth.