Pamela Zinn

This monograph concerns animals and philosophy of mind in Lucretius’ “De rerum natura.” Most scholarship assumes animals’ irrationality and thus dismisses them as poetic imagery or anthropocentric comparanda. This study establishes that animals are thoroughly integrated into Lucretius' philosophical argument and didactic program. They are psychophysiological wholes, like humans, and they merit ethical treatment and serve as moral exemplars in ways that prefigure contemporary debates. The grant will support a course buyout for research and writing during Spring 2020.