40 HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE OF SCIENCE 



inventions and in their scientific organization of military 

 affairs. Bridge and road building proceeded in a systematic 

 fashion not unlike modern engineering. The construction of 

 aqueducts and other public works, if less arduous than 

 pyramid building, nevertheless exhibits greater aptitude in 

 the application of scientific principles. The mechanical 

 devices of the Hellenistic Age were improved and widely 

 applied. 



The writings of Titus Lucretius Carus (96-55 b. c.) 23 

 represent the highest level of Roman genius as applied in 

 synthetic and speculative thought. Lucretius seems to have 

 derived his initial inspiration from Greek sources. In his 

 famous didactic poem a De Rerum Natura, " he elaborates 

 the ideas of Democritus regarding the origin of the cosmos 

 from atoms in motion. But he becomes more definite. The 

 progressive development of life from mother earth by spon- 

 taneous generation, and the origin of man from brutish 

 ancestry are proposed. The origin of language from animal 

 sounds and of religious ideas from dreams is conjectured. 

 The idea of selection in a struggle for existence is vaguely sug- 

 gested. Above all, Lucretius is notable for his grasp of 

 speculative ideas and their application to human life and 

 nature. His great aim was the liberation of mankind from 

 superstition and from the fear of death. He was not atheis- 

 tic and Epicurean in the sense often supposed. Happiness 

 through self-control and a feeling for the dignity of human 

 life were his ideals. His attempt to synthesize knowledge and 

 establish a sound philosophy of life represents the most com- 

 prehensive effort of the Greco-Roman world in this direction. 

 By a refinement of the Epicurean philosophy, he believed 

 that man could find an harmonious solution to the problem 

 of existence. Despite the limitations of ignorance, his 

 interpretations of human life and of nature resemble those of 

 modern science. His mind runs in the scientific channel. 

 The conflict between superstition and the laws of nature is 



23 "Lucretius on the Nature of Things," translation by H. A. J. Munro. 



