EPIKUROV POKUŠAJ UTEMELJENJA SLOBODE
EPICURUS’ ATTEMPT TO ESTABLISH FREEDOM

Summary/Abstract: The paper explicates the Epicurean materialistic worldview which, by positing exclusively the existence of atoms as the basic constituents of everything existing, excludes any other form of the world’s origin, especially gods. During the perpendicularly motion of atoms, falling from above downwards in parallel lines, nothing would ever happen if there were no extremely small swerve of atoms from their usual path. Only swerve, as an inherent property of atoms, besides enabling the collision of atoms and the formation of their conglomerates, i.e., everything that exists, also, as Epicurus believed, enables freedom itself, i.e., freedom of will and decision-making in humans. The paper demonstrates that the swerve of atoms, although perhaps necessary, is not a sufficient condition for attributing freedom to the agents.

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