• Gli Epicurei romani sulla medicina: Senocle, Alessandro, Zopiro e Lucrezio

    Author(s):
    Enrico Piergiacomi (see profile)
    Date:
    2019
    Item Type:
    Article
    Permanent URL:
    https://doi.org/10.17613/qna7-8145
    Abstract:
    The paper reconstructs the thought of four Roman Epicureans on the medi- cine: Xenocles of Delphi, Alexander, Zopyrus, who appear in books 2 and 3 of Plutarch’s "Table Talk", and Lucretius. I argue that these characters are not only experts in medicine, but also share the common aim of making ethical use of this knowledge to lead humans towards happiness and good health. In turn, I explore the possibility that Xenocles draws on the medical doctrines of Asclepiades of Bi- thynia in order both to explain appetite and to exhort us to seek satiety; that Al- exander uses medicine to explain and then reject the Orphic-Pythagorean injunc- tion to abstain from beans; finally, that Zopyrus and Lucretius give an account of Epicurus’ reflection on sexual pleasure with the goal of encouraging the youth to seek it with moderation and with an hygienic regime.
    Metadata:
    Published as:
    Journal article    
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    3 months ago
    License:
    Attribution
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