Non ita certandi cupidus (Lucr. 3.5). Competizione e modelli etici nel de rerum natura di Lucrezio

Abstract

The present article discusses Lucretius' view of interpersonal competition and emulative instincts as phenomena of both literary and social relevance. The most eloquent Lucretian passages dealing with these issues are reassessed in light of the evidence provided by the Epicurean tradition (from Epicurus to Philodemus) and by the late Republican debate on socio-political 'aemulatio'. The analysis of the extant evidence sheds new light on the embeddedness of Lucretius' poem in both Epicurean thought and Roman ideology.