The Preface of this book just blew me away, must keep reading. (Let's just put it out there that I minored in Physics and have maintained over the years that Physicist are philosphers at heart.) This book is written on the rediscovery of a text by Lucretius, On the Nature of Things and how it spurred the Renaissance. "To spend your existence in the grip of anxiety about death is mere folly. It is a sure way to let your life slip from you incomplete and un-enjoyed." "Lucretius believed that the sun circled around the earth... but at the core of the poem lay key principles of a modern understanding of the world."
"The stuff of the universe, Lucretius proposed, is an infinite number of atoms moving randomly through space, like dust motes in a sunbeam, colliding, hooking together, forming complex structures, breaking apart again, in a ceaseless process of creation and destruction. There is no escape from this process." How could I not be hooked? It was like a breath of fresh air.
"When you look up at the night sky and, feeling unaccountably moved, marvel at the numberless stars, you are not seeing the handiwork of the gods ora crystalline where detached from our transient world. You are seeing the same material world of which are a part and from whose elements your are made." (I also studied Chemistry. Totally over the moon now!) "There is no master plan, no divine architect, no intelligent design. All things, including the species to which your belong, have evolved over vast stretches of time. The evolution is random, though in the case of living organisms it involves a principle of nature selection... Only atoms are immortal." Holy Cow! Only atoms are immortal. And this was written over 2000 years ago!
[Chapter 8 - The Way Things Are]
Summary of On the Nature of Things by Lucretius - 6 books on religion, pleasure, death, theories on the physical world, evolution of the human species, the perils/joys of sex and the nature of human desire.
- Everything is made of invisible particles
- The elementary particles of matter, "the seeds of the things," are eternal
- The elementary particles are infinite in number but limited by shape and size
- All particles are in montion and an infinite void
- The universe has no creator or designer
- Everything comes into being as a result of the swerve
- The swerve is the source of free will
- Nature ceaselessly experiments
- The universe was not created for or about humans
- Humans are not unique
- Human society began not in a Golden Age of tranquility and plenty, but in a primitive battle for survival
- The soul dies
- There is no afterlife
- Death is nothing to us
- All organized religions are superstitious delusions
- Religion are invariably cruel
- There are no angels, demons or ghosts
- The highest goal of human life is the enhancement of pleasure and the reduction of pain
- The greatest obstacle to pleasure is not pain; it is delusion
- Humans are unhappy due to imagination
- The fantasy of infinite pleasure helps to account for the proneness to romantic love in the misguided belief that happiness depends on the absolute possession of some single object of limitless desire
- Understanding the nature of things generates deep wonder
The latter part of the statement is anti-Christian; but those facts are address later in the book. The clash of the pagans and the Catholics around 400-500 AD. The author continues to amaze in the fact that the 200 page poem should have not survived antiquity into the modern day. The view he notes is almost heretical. He goes into the fact that "swerves, an unexpected, unpredictable movement of matter could occur." Lucretius believed in the laws of nature without reference to reward and punishment in the afterlife. (There was no afterlife as in the Christian view, only atoms to be reshaped into something else.)
"Lucretians embracement of beauty and pleasure and propelled it forward as a legitimate and worthy humam pursuit was that of the Renaissance." "Art always penetrates the particular fissures in one's psychic life... but was not restricted to only influencing the arts [of the upcoming Renaissance.]" The embrace of beauty and pleasure is visited often in the text in several different forms: intellectual, scientific, technologic and exploration. Why not, if life is lived ethically? Could the mortal life be enough? All good questions to ponder...
[Chapter 1 - The Book Hunter] The book takes place in 1417 Germany (possibly the Benedictine Abbey of Fulda between the Rhone and the Vogelsburg Mountains); where the book hunter is looking to retrieve a great book. A book hunter, yes, a letter writer and/or book hunter, is looking for texts from antiquity to see back in Rome. This book hunter Poggio Bracciolini isn't just any book hunter. He is well educated and can also scribe. He worked for the deposed Pope JohnXXIII (Baldassare Cossa.) In midieval Europe, men had to belong to something. With the Pope being deposed, Poggio was considered masterless.
Poggio had a traveling companion in his search for books. Bartolomeo de Aragazzi, from Tuscany, like Poggio. Poggio was from Terranuova and Bartolomeo from Montepulciano. Both were scriptors in the papal curia in Rome. They split up when Poogio went to Germany. Bartolomeo went deep into the Alps in search of other texts.
[Chapter 2 - The Moment of Discovery] Monasteries started to be established in Europe after the fall of Rome in the 400-600s. In the 6th century, St. Benedict added a literary requirement, in addition to manual labor and prayer, to the admission criteria to be a monk. Monks were punished for not obeying. Monks also preserved the knowledge of antiquity: Egypt, Greece and Rome. By making copies of the books/scrolls they had salvaged from the past.
The monastery's librarian is who Poggio would interface to see the texts. Then there were the individual scribes. The tools they used were rulers to draw straight lines to write on, fine pointed metal pens, reading frames to hold the book to be copied, weights to keep the pages from turning. Many ancient manuscripts were in scroll form on papyrus. Whereas in the Christian era, the codex or paginated book format became more widely used for organizational purposes. A reader could more easily find the information he was looking for on the numbered page. Information could be indexed.
The monks wrote on animal skins: cows, sheep, goats and deer. Papyrus was no longer available and paper did not come into use widely until the 14th century. The skins needed to be made smooth by a pumice stone to rub away any remaining animal hair, bumps or imperfections. [Vellum - From the skins of aborted calves. The finest skin available to write on at the time.] Scribes would work 6 hours a day and sometimes be exempt from manual labor. If a mistake was made, it would be scraped off with a razor*. A mixture of milk, cheese and lime was the medieval version of white out! Sometimes skins were cleaned and re-used. The original writing still concealed beneath in some cases.
[Chapter 3 - In Search of Lucretius] "Lucretius lived his life in a culture of wealthy private book collectors." (The first library was built after Lucretius died.) There were libraries in Greece, Asia Minor and Egypt at the time. Roman libraries has benches to sit and read. Rich gave endowments to the libraries to get books. Architects thought libraries should face east to catch the light in the morning.
Epicurus, 200 years before Lucretius, was influential on Lucretius's philosophy and writing.
[Chapter 4 - The Teeth of Time] Bugs and worms were the biggest menace to papyrus scrolls. Nibbled by the worms teeth or foods for vandal moths. (I found the latter reference comical.) There was a large demand for books in the Roman Empire. Well off Romans employ scribes to have copies of books for their own personal libraries.
It is at this point in the book where the author, very scientifically, gets into the change from Paganism to Christianity and the difference in their philosophies. The Pagan philosophy is much more tolerant; whereas the Christianity of the time was much more into judgement. This swerve or blending did/does not end well [this is my opinion] for Western Civilization. Again, in my opinion, the self defeatism or relinquishing all to God in the Christian Faith proves to be the key to salvation. How so? Yes, I understand this application of faith as I grew up Catholic, but is it right? If we could maintain a tolerance for all and not have our leaders go on power grabs, wouldn't the world be a better place? [Environmental destruction would also be a form of a power grab.]
My favorite quote from Machiavelli's, The Prince is, "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts, absolutely." This seems to be no different from what the Catholic Church did through out time. It is a corporation, not a religious institution. Popes through out the middle ages and the Renaissance went on to try to achieve power for their families. Only modern pope's have held up the message that Christ speaks of. Yes, I feel there is hope! There must be hope. That is why I have enjoyed this book so much. [Please also reference my blog entry on God's Jury by Cullen Murphy from March 2012.)
[Chapter 5 - Birth and Rebirth] - Poggio was born in 1380 in Terranuova within the area controlled by Florence. (This is only 30 years after the Black Death decimated Europe.) Father Guccio Bracciolini and Mother Jacoba. Poggio's father was a notary. 1388 moved to Arezzo. He received an education while there. 1390 he went to Florence.
Florentine Families: Albizzi, Strozzi, Peruzzi, Capponi, Pitti, Buondelmonti
Increased market for slaves, non-Christians, due to the decimation of the plagues some 30 years before
Florence - cloth business, independent state not controlled by Rome
Poggio know for his excellent scripting ability. He would copy manuscripts/documents to make money
Carolingian script transformed into the basis for italics
Laurentian Library in Florence
Petrarch was a devote Christian, but also the Father of Humanism. He insisted on a rediscovery of the classic Greek and Roman texts.
- Closest associates Giovanni Boccaccio and Coluccio Salutati
Poggio studied with Giovanni Malpaghino (from Ravenna - Petrarch's secretary)
Poggio opted for training as a notary, as it was shorter than that of a lawyer.
Coluccio Salutati - the Chancellor of Florence
Petrarch & Salutati argued the Humanists role was to live in the present. (Refreshingly modern ideas...)
Salutati felt Florence's glory resided in it's independence. (As the Lorenzo di Medici 50 years later.) Salutati took a group of young men under his wing to teach them. Poggio was one of these students. Also included Leonardo Bruni of Arezzo. 1397 Manuel Chrysolaras taught Poggio and the others ancient Greek at Salutati's request. (Poggio also knew Latin.)
Poggio became friends with Niccolo Niccoli, from a wealthy family who sold cloth. Niccolo did not marry and devoted himself to a life of study of the past. Niccolo set up a museum/library of his findings upon his death. He did not write anything.
1403 Poggio left Florence for Rome.
[Chapter 6 - In the Lie Factory aka the Vatican Curia] Roman Families: Colonna or Orsini. Rome was in ruins in the early 1400s. Sheep and cattle grazed in the Forum. An industry, if it can be called that, was pulling nails out of old buildings to be melted down and resold.
Scriptors were a secular job, but they were required to attend mass every day before work. Poggio rose from Scriptor (100) to Papal Secretary (6), with direct access to the Pope. Then he eventually became Secretarius Domesticus, the Pope's Private Secretary.
The author notes that Lucretius was not an atheist. The Gods are simply not concerned with humans as they have better things to do. Lucretius was more concerned with the material world.
[Chapter 7 - A Pit to Catch Foxes]
Baldassre Cossa - Pope John XXIII. Born in Porcida, near Naples. Studies Jurisprudence at the University of Bologna rather than theology. At the time the jurisprudence was the way to prepare for a career in the church. Cossa appointed Governor of Bologna. Pope Alexander V comes to visit Bologna and dies of suspected food poisoning in 1410. Cossa might have been involved. Cossa eventually becomes Pope. Poggio works for this Pope in Rome.
The Great Schism is also going on at this time.
- Angelo Correr (Venice) - becomes Benedict XIII and not taken seriously
- Pedro de Luna (ESP) - becomes Gregory XII and dies in 1417
Poggio, at this point in 1415, is unemployed. He becomes a book hunter and goes to Cluny, France and finds a Codes of Cicero. Than to St. Gall, 20 miles from Constance, to find Quintilian's Institutes. Finally to Fulda, Germany to find On the Nature of Things by Lucretius in 1417.
[Chapter 9 - The Return]
1419 Poggio becomes Secretary to Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester, Leader of the English delegation to the Council of Constance. Went to England and studied about the church caters for 5 years before returning to Rome in 1422 to a Secretarial post at the Vatican.
1427 Purchased a house in Terravouva, Tuscany where he was born.
1433 Apostolic Secretary to Pope Eugenius IV
There is an insurrection in Rome against the Papacy. The pope escapes to Florence, but Poggio isn't so lucky. He has to ransom himself off.
Poggio & [Mistress] Lucia Panelli - 12 sons & 2 daughters
1436 Poggies & [Wife] Vaggia di Gino Buondelmonti (32 years his junior) 5 sons & 1 daughter
- 1478 Jacopo Bracciolini, Poggio's son, involved in the Montefeltro Conspiracy (Pazzi) that killed Guiliano di Medici and tried to kill Lorenzo. Jacopo hung in Florence as a result. (After this Poggio aligned himself with the di Medici.)
[Chapter 10 - Swerves]
1453 Poggio becomes the Chancellor of Florence at age 73, for 5 years. At this time, the Medici made the position highly symbolic in nature.
[Chapter 11 - Afterlives]
Thomas Jefferson owned 5 copies of On the Nature of Things in 3 languages. It was one of his favorite books.
Conviction: The world is nature alone. Nature consists of matter.
Confidence: That ignorance and fear are not necessary components of human existence.
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Definitions & Links Related to the Book:
On the Nature of Things by Lucretius -
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/785/785-h/785-h.htm
Humanists studied the texts of antiquity - Poggio was a Humanist
- Petrarch considered the Father of the Humanists
Acediosus - apathetic - many monks were depressed because they had a set schedule and had to engage in "prayerful reading" on a daily basis.
Johann Guttenburg - 1430s printing press
*Palimpsets - Greek for "scraped again"
Scriptoria - workshops where monks would be trained to sit for a long hours to make copies. Special rooms were built in monasteries for this purpose.
Copyists or librari - generally slaves or paid laborers who worked for book sellers. There are records female, as well as male copyists.
Scribes or scribae - free citizens who worked as archivists, government bureaucrats and personal secretaries.
Palatium - Palace
Court - Curia
Side Notes -
1. Early Roman Connection:
[Chapter 3] 79 BC explosion of Mt. Vesuvius - Pompeii and Herculaneum - leads to discovery of library in Herculaneum belonging to Lucius Calpurnius Piso, Julius Ceasar's father-in-law. [Herculaneum was a seaside resort for wealthy Roman's at the time.] The Romans thought to emulate the Greeks knowledge; but thought themselves far superior. The Villa became know as the Villa of the Papyri. Wax tablets were also found in the library. The wax pads were used to take notes from the papyrus documents.
"This hero, one strikingly at odds with Roman culture that traditionally prided itself on toughness, pragmatism and military virtue, was a Greek who triumphed not through the force of arms, but the the power of intellect." Therefore, through the power of intellect is triumph, not social prominence or religious piety. Power could also be a form of triumph; but it would not apply in the Epicurus/Lucretius philosophy.
Volumen - the latin word for thing that is rolled or wound up
"Rolls of papyrus, the plant from which we get our word "paper" were produced from the tall reeds that grew in the marshy delta region of the Nile in Lower Egypt. The reeds were harvested; their stalks cut open and sliced into very thin strips. The strips were laid side by side, slightly overlapping one another; another layer was placed on top, at right angles to the one below; and the sheet was gently pounded with a mallet. The natural sap that was released allowed the fibers to adhere smoothly to each other, and the individual sheets were than glued into rolls." Papyrus lasted 300 years.
Protokol - "first glued" in Greek is the origin of the word protocol.
2. Greatest Library in Alexandria (Capital of Egypt)
[Chapter 4 - The Teeth of Time] "Known as the Museum, most of the intellectual inheritance of the Greek, Latin, Babylonian, Egyptian and Jewish cultures. Starting as early as 300 BC. Ptolomaic kings lur[ed] leading scholars, scientists and poets to their city by offering them life appointments at the Museum, with handsome salaries, tax exemptions, free food and lodging and the most limitless resources of the library."
