Physics 151
falls or blows or fear diseases produced by physical exhaustion. It was
for fear of this sort of thing that Epicurus invented his insubstantial and
idle gods. 60. Endowed with that most beautiful of shapes, located in
the purest region of the heaven, they move and steer their courses in
such a way that they seem to have come to an agreement to preserve
and protect everything ....
- The next thing is for me to explain that the world is governed by
the providence of the gods. This is a large topic indeed, and one on
which we are challenged by your school [i.e., the Academics], Cotta; to
be sure the whole debate is with you .... 75. So I say that the cosmos
and all its parts were in the beginning constituted by the providence of
the gods and are governed by it for all time; our school usually divides
the discussion of this topic into three parts. The first is derived from
the argument used to show that the gods exist; when that is granted one
must admit that the cosmos is governed by their rational planning. The
next shows that all things are subordinate to a perceptive nature and are
managed by it most beautifully; when that point is settled it follows that
they were produced by first principles endowed with life. The third topic
is derived from our feelings of admiration for celestial and terrestrial phe-
nomena. - First of all, then, either one must deny that there are gods, as
Democritus does in a way, by bringing in his effluences and Epicurus
his images, or those who admit that there are gods must concede that
they do something impressive. But nothing is more impressive than the
governance of the cosmos; therefore, it is governed by the rational plan-
ning of the gods. But if this is not so, certainly there must be something
which is better and endowed with greater power than a god-whatever
it is, a lifeless nature or necessity set in motion with great force-which
produces all these most beautiful works which we see; 77. it follows then
that the nature of the gods is not preeminently powerful or excellent,
since it is subordinated to that other power, whether it be necessity or
nature, by which the heaven, seas and earth are ruled. But nothing is
superior to god; therefore, it is necessary that the world be ruled by god.
Therefore, god is not obedient to nature and is not subjected to it; and
so god himself rules all of nature.
Indeed, if we grant that the gods are intelligent, we grant also that
they are provident, especially about the most important things. Are the
gods, then, ignorant about which things are the most important and
about how they are to be handled and preserved? Or do they lack the
power to sustain and carry out such great tasks? But ignorance of things
is foreign to the nature of the gods, and it is inconsistent with the gods'