Martin the Epicurean

For most of his life Martin Ferguson Smith (born 1940) has been closely engaged with the teachings of the Greek philosopher Epicurus (341-270 BC). Epicurus adopted and adapted the atomic theory developed by Democritus, but regarded scientific knowledge as subservient to the moral end, which is pleasure, specifically absence of pain in the body and absence of trouble in the mind.

Martin has a particular interest in two of Epicurus' followers, each of whom regarded his master as the saviour of humanity. One is the Roman poet Lucretius (first century BC), author of On the Nature of Things, which Martin has translated and edited. The other is Diogenes of Oinoanda (second century AD), who displayed his exposition of Epicureanism in a gigantic Greek inscription, the longest one known from antiquity, in his upland home city in southwest Turkey. Diogenes addresses not only the people of Oinoanda, but also so-called foreigners who are actually fellow citizens in a world which is one country for humanity. 

Since 1968 Martin has been involved in Oinoanda's exploration, first independently, later in collaboration, and has seen the number of known pieces of Diogenes' work more than tripled. The new texts are among the most remarkable classical finds to have been made anywhere in the last two centuries, and the inscription has the fascination of an unfinished jigsaw puzzle.

Martin was educated at Shrewsbury School, alongside John Peel, and at Trinity College, Dublin, where he was a foundation scholar, took a "first" in Classics, and wrote a postgraduate dissertation on Lucretius. After service as professor of Classics in Bangor and Durham and adventures not only in Turkey, but also in communist Albania and Romania, he moved to the remote island of Foula in Shetland. There he has lived in contented isolation for thirty years, without a shop, television, or smart phone.

Alongside his classical work, he has written four "modern" books: Dearest Jean (2011); Madeleine Symons (2017); In and Out of Bloomsbury (2021); and The Artist Helen Coombe (2023). Of particular relevance to Martin the Epicurean is his Urbi et Orbi: The Epicurean Inscription and Prescription of Diogenes of Oinoanda (2026), Open Access and paperback.