Templa serena against acherusia templa: Materialistic explanation of ghosts in Lucretius

Abstract

This article discusses the philosophical premises of the Epicurean School against the existence of ghosts. According to the traditional Greco-Roman religion and other philosophical doctrines, such as the Pythagorean, the Platonic, and the Stoic, ghosts do exist and serve as medium between the living world and the afterlife. Against this widespread belief, Lucretius argues that ghosts are not the dead who return from beyond, but physical and material emissions (simulacra). This interpretation fits into the broader context of his philosophical system, which aims at delivering men from fear of the gods, of death and of the after-life, with the eudemonistic purpose of achieving emotional peace.