Question 1

For Lucretius, our being mortal means that

Accepted Answer

A)  we should not care how long we live 
B)  life is meaningless 
C)  death should be feared 
D)  death should not concern us 
A)  we should not care how long we live 
B)  life is meaningless 
C)  death should be feared 
D)  death should not concern us D

Question 2

Why does Lucretius believe that death should not cause us to feel "dread"?

Accepted Answer

A)  Death is a relief from the sufferings of life. 
B)  We will not exist when we are dead. 
C)  Our relatives and friends will remember us after we're dead. 
D)  Dying will almost certainly be painless. 
A)  Death is a relief from the sufferings of life. 
B)  We will not exist when we are dead. 
C)  Our relatives and friends will remember us after we're dead. 
D)  Dying will almost certainly be painless. B

Question 3

Analyze the final stanza of the excerpt (beginning "Consider likewise…"). What does Lucretius invite us to conclude about death from considering the time "before our birth" that "was nothing to us"? Is his conclusion correct?

Accepted Answer

In the final stanza of the excerpt, Lucretius invites us to consider the time "before our birth" that "was nothing to us" as a way to understand death. He suggests that just as the time before our birth did not affect us, so too will the time after our death not affect us. He concludes that death is nothing to us, as it is simply a return to the state of non-existence that we experienced before our birth.

This conclusion is a matter of personal belief and perspective. Some may find comfort in the idea that death is simply a return to a state of non-existence, while others may find it unsettling. Ultimately, whether or not Lucretius' conclusion about death is correct is subjective and depends on individual beliefs and philosophies about life and death.

Question 4

What are some important similarities between Epicurus' attitude toward death and mortality (see Part III) and Lucretius' attitude toward death and mortality? What are some important differences between their attitudes?

Accepted Answer

Some important similarities between Epic

Exam 13: On the Nature of Things Excerpts

For Lucretius, our being mortal means that

Why does Lucretius believe that death should not cause us to feel "dread"?

Analyze the final stanza of the excerpt (beginning "Consider likewise…"). What does Lucretius invite us to conclude about death from considering the time "before our birth" that "was nothing to us"? Is his conclusion correct?

What are some important similarities between Epicurus' attitude toward death and mortality (see Part III) and Lucretius' attitude toward death and mortality? What are some important differences between their attitudes?

Defining Death

Defining Death in a Technological World

We Die When Entropy Overwhelms Homeostasis

What It Is to Die

The Tragic Sense of Life Excerpts

Can We Survive Our Deaths

The Possibility of an Afterlife

Letter to Menoeceus

Two Arguments for Epicureanism

Why Death Is Not Bad for the One Who Dies

Death Is Bad for Us When Were Dead

Making Death Not Quite As Bad for the One Who Dies

If You Want to Die Later, Then Why Dont You Want to Have Been Born Earlier

Coming Into and Going Out of Existence

The Epic of Gilgamesh Excerpts

The Story of the Man Who Did Not Wish to Die

How to Live a Never-Ending Novela

Taking Stock of the Risks of Life Without Death

Immortality, Boredom, and Standing for Something

Death, Mortality, and Meaning

Fitting Attitudes Towards Deprivations

The Enchiridion Excerpts

Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion Excerpts

Voluntary Death Excerpts

Letter to Lucilius

Why Grieve

The Significance of Future Generations

Death and Survival Online

Whether One Is Allowed to Kill Oneself Excerpts

Of Suicide Excerpts

Suicide Is Sometimes Rational and Morally Defensible

Suicide and Its Discontents

An Irrational Suicide

World As Will and Representation Excerpts

Death in Mind

Meaning in Life in Spite of Death

Out of the Blue Into the Black

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