A che serve venerarlo, se dio non fa nulla? Epicuro e il piacere della preghiera

This paper tries to explain why prayer was still performed by Epicureans, who believed in the existence of deities unconcerned with human affairs. I argue that its role was not ethical, but epistemological. The Epicurean prayer is meant for those who desire to understand better the divine nature, since it allows human mind to perceive the gods and to found or to belie many theological opinions. Moreover, it grants pure pleasure to the worshipper, thus allowing him to reach happiness.