Lucretius, full-named Titus Lucretius Carus, was not only a great poet but also a great philosopher, and his poems allude to ethical and moral aspects of Roman life. However, unfortunately, not much about his life is known besides his most famous work, De Rerum Natura.
In this work Lucretius tried to cope with the emerging regime change by explaining the natural world around him. This most famous set of poems De Rerum Natura, or On the Nature of Things, depicted a world where what we would call science and philosophy are blended, and where faith is closely linked to knowledge. In this poem, Lucretius expounded on Epicurean philosophy, talking about the nature of an atomic universe, the mortality of the soul, the dangers of sexual passion, and the pursuit of happiness. This poet eagerly wanted to comprehend the unknown aspects of the world and spread that knowledge to the broader population. One of the most essential themes in this book is the idea of the flow. This idea comes under Lucretius's atomic theory, which may seem intriguing at first sight since the atomic theory could seemingly only comprise of an explanation of the natural world, such as the atomic theory of Democritus, but Lucretius combined this knowledge with morality. He explained how the best way for humans to act is to always follow the flow of things. For example, in Book II (page 251-293) of De Rerum Natura, Lucretius talked about how giving birth and creating new life is part of the “flow”, comparing “will movements flowing through the limbs” as “racehorses” who need the willpower to flow to all parts of the body to go on in a “racing track”. Such an idea is fascinating because of its allusion to the transition, evolution, and flow of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire – hence trying to express his point of not trying to upset or reverse this change, or, in other words, to not go against Augustus. As he said, one could do nothing about the predetermined nature of things.