Gaius Amafinius (or Amafanius) was one of the earliest Roman writers in favour of the

Epicurean Epicureanism is a system of philosophy founded 307 BCE based upon the teachings of Epicurus, an ancient Greek philosopher. Epicurus was an atomist and materialist, following in the steps of Democritus. His materialism led him to religious s ...

philosophy. He probably lived in the late 2nd and early 1st century BC. He wrote several works, which are censured by

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

as deficient in arrangement and style. He is mentioned by no other ancient writer but Cicero. In the '' Academica'', Cicero reveals that Amafinius translated the Greek concept of

atom Atoms are the basic particles of the chemical elements. An atom consists of a atomic nucleus, nucleus of protons and generally neutrons, surrounded by an electromagnetically bound swarm of electrons. The chemical elements are distinguished fr ...

s as ''corpusculi'' (" corpuscles") in Latin. In his '' Tusculan Disputations'', Cicero disapprovingly notes that Amafanius was one of the first philosophers writing in Latin at Rome: In his ''Academica'',

criticizes Amafinius and his fellow Epicurean Rabirius for their unsophisticated prose style, and says that in their efforts to introduce philosophy to common people they end up saying nothing. He concludes indignantly: "they think there is no art of speechmaking or composition."

Michel de Montaigne Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne ( ; ; ; 28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592), commonly known as Michel de Montaigne, was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularising the the essay ...

alludes to these passages in his '' Essais'', book 2, chapter 17, ''De la presumption'' ("On Presumption.") Montaigne writes:Michel de Montaigne
''De la presumption''
". . . un jargon populaire, et un proceder sans definition, sans partition, sans conclusion, trouble, à la façon de celuy d'Amafanius et de Rabirius."

References

Bibliography

* ''Cicero’s Social and Political Thought'', Wood, Neal, University of California Press, 1988 (paperback edition, 1991, ). * ''Amafinius, Lucretius and Cicero'', Howe, H.H., American Journal of Philology, 77, 1951, pp57–62 2nd-century BC Romans 1st-century BC Romans 2nd-century BC philosophers 1st-century BC philosophers 2nd-century BC writers in Latin 1st-century BC writers in Latin Philosophers of Roman Italy Roman-era Epicurean philosophers Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown {{AncientRome-stub