One of the topics I like about chapter 10 is how Greenblatt describes the content of Lucretius’s poem. He brings up quotes from one of his poems a materialistic and atomistic view of the universe, arguing against superstition, fear of death, and belief in divine intervention. “They say that this world was made of atoms, that is, those tiniest of particular for special ridicule” (Pg 220).Lucretius promotes the idea of a world governed by natural laws rather than the whims of the gods, advocating for the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain.

Another thing I enjoyed about the chapter is how Greenblatt highlights the impact of Lucretius’s ideas on Renaissance thinkers. He includes Poggio, Petrarch, and Montaigne, who were fascinated by the poem’s different ideas. “They seem to lean more than they should to the school that espouses pleasure as the object by which to define either the whole or the chief part of the human happiness” (Pg 229). He discusses how these intellectuals grappled with the tension between the poem’s ideas and the prevailing religious beliefs of their time.

The question I would have is why weren’t the people accepting of change in culture or society?