What does this Lucretious quote mean to you. And the second question.?

Question

Here it is,
Nequaquam nobis divinitus esse paratam
Naturam rerum; tanta stat praedita culpa

"Had God designed the world, it would not be
A world so frail and faulty as we see."

-- Lucretious


Second question, what author said that Lucretious had the strongest argument for atheism?


- enrique

Answer 1

False, since you didn't specify the direction of the argument (what religion). It could be that God is not omnipotent but immensely powerful, and that God is not omniscient but knows a lot. God may still be resting! What could he do, then, to help us? And of course, God may not be benevolent.

Of course, I have no evidence for this, so I don't believe, either. I'm just open to it.

Second question: C.S. Lewis, a Christian.

Answer 2

The quote means that he wasn't too bright (or more exactly, he stopped thinking before he should have). It is particularly arrogant of a human (no matter the religion but assuming there is a god) to think that he/she is so wise as to understand a god's (or God's) purpose for the world. One must first understand the purpose before one can judge if something meets that purpose or falls short. Furthermore, what is he comparing the world to in order to judge that it is frail?

Lucretious should have said that had HE designed the world, it would not be a world he would judge as frail and faulty.

Unfortunately, I cannot answer your second question.

Answer 3

That quote sounds like the porblem of evil argument that is used against theism. Logically outlined, it would look something like this:

a) God is good

b) God is omnipotent

c) A trully good being would stop evil to the best of his/her ability

d) An omnipotent being can do anything.

e) Evil exists.

So it follows that God does not exist.

Something like that.... Either way the problem of evil isn't a very good atheistic argument.

Answer 4

Many years after Lucretius wrote that the atheism argument arose. In his lifetime he argued against the notion of free will and God's design four our lives on Earth. That is where many latin scholars believe he was going with the parent poem of the quote you site, TITI LVCRETI CARI DE RERVM NATVRA LIBER QVINTVS.