Abstract

Examines Lucretius ' solution to the problem of perceptual relativity that was posed by ancient skeptics as a challenge to the possibility of knowledge based on the senses. The solution, having to do with differences among individuals in the ' pores ' through which effluences enter the body, is fundamental to Lucretius ' Epicurean epistemology. There are interesting problems, however, with some of the cases, and it is also interesting to note the disturbing element of violence in Lucretius ' description of the mechanics of perception in these cases, an effort perhaps to address the reader at a more emotional level. The results are applicable also to the "honeyed cup" simile which Lucretius uses for his own philosophical therapy