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Single Idea 5728
[filed under theme 3. Truth / A. Truth Problems / 1. Truth
]
Full Idea
The concept of truth was originated by the senses.
Gist of Idea
The concept of truth was originated by the senses
Source
Lucretius (On the Nature of the Universe [c.60 BCE], IV.479)
Book Ref
Lucretius: 'On the Nature of the Universe', ed/tr. Latham,Ronald [Penguin 1951], p.145
A Reaction
This is a refreshing challenge to the modern view of truth, which seems entirely entangled with language. Truth seems a useful concept when discussing the workings of an animal mind. As you get closer to an object, you see it more 'truly'.
The
42 ideas
from 'On the Nature of the Universe'
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17004
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Nothing can break the binding laws of eternity
[Lucretius]
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5704
|
There can be no centre in infinity
[Lucretius]
|
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5694
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Nothing can be created by divine power out of nothing
[Lucretius]
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5695
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Only bodies can touch one another
[Lucretius]
|
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5696
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If there were no space there could be no movement, or even creation
[Lucretius]
|
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5697
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The only possible standard for settling doubts is the foundation of the senses
[Lucretius]
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5693
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Everything is created and fed by nature from atoms, and they return to atoms in death
[Lucretius]
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5698
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We can only sense time by means of movement, or its absence
[Lucretius]
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5699
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If matter wasn't everlasting, everything would have disappeared by now
[Lucretius]
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5700
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It is quicker to break things up than to assemble them
[Lucretius]
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5701
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If an object is infinitely subdivisible, it will be the same as the whole universe
[Lucretius]
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5702
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The senses are much the best way to distinguish true from false
[Lucretius]
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5703
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The universe must be limitless, since there could be nothing outside to limit it
[Lucretius]
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5714
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Even simple facts are hard to believe at first hearing
[Lucretius]
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5715
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This earth is very unlikely to be the only one created
[Lucretius]
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5716
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Nature runs the universe by herself without the aid of gods
[Lucretius]
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5706
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Atoms move themselves
[Lucretius]
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5707
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The universe can't have been created by gods, because it is too imperfect
[Lucretius]
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5705
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Nature only wants two things: freedom from pain, and pleasure
[Lucretius]
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5708
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In downward motion, atoms occasionally swerve slightly for no reason
[Lucretius]
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5709
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The actions of the mind are not determinate and passive, because atoms can swerve
[Lucretius]
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5710
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Gods are tranquil and aloof, and have no need of or interest in us
[Lucretius]
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5711
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The earth is and always has been an insentient being
[Lucretius]
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5712
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Particles may have sensation, but eggs turning into chicks suggests otherwise
[Lucretius]
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5713
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You needn't be made of laughing particles to laugh, so why not sensation from senseless seeds?
[Lucretius]
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5718
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The mind is in the middle of the breast, because there we experience fear and joy
[Lucretius]
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5719
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The mind moves limbs, wakes the body up, changes facial expressions, which involve touch
[Lucretius]
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5721
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The mind is very small smooth particles, which evaporate at death
[Lucretius]
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21387
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The separate elements and capacities of a mind cannot be distinguished
[Lucretius]
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5720
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Spirit is mortal
[Lucretius]
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5722
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For a separated spirit to remain sentient it would need sense organs attached to it
[Lucretius]
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5723
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If spirit is immortal and enters us at birth, why don't we remember a previous existence?
[Lucretius]
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5724
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Lions, foxes and deer have distinct characters because their minds share in their bodies
[Lucretius]
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5725
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An immortal mind couldn't work harmoniously with a mortal body
[Lucretius]
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5726
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The dead are no different from those who were never born
[Lucretius]
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5717
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The mind is a part of a man, just like a hand or an eye
[Lucretius]
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5727
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Most supposed delusions of the senses are really misinterpretations by the mind
[Lucretius]
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5728
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The concept of truth was originated by the senses
[Lucretius]
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5729
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If the senses are deceptive, reason, which rests on them, is even worse
[Lucretius]
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6611
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One man's meat is another man's poison
[Lucretius]
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5730
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Our bodies weren't created to be used; on the contrary, their creation makes a use possible
[Lucretius]
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5731
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Why does Jupiter never hurl lightning from a blue sky?
[Lucretius]
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