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Democritus (/ d ɪ ˈ m ɒ k r ɪ t ə s /, dim-OCK-rit-əs; Greek: Δημόκριτος, Dēmókritos, meaning "chosen of the people"; c. 460 – c. 370 BC) was an Ancient Greek pre-Socratic philosopher from Abdera, primarily remembered today for his formulation of an atomic theory of the universe. [2] Democritus wrote extensively on a wide ...
Leucippus and Democritus described the soul as an arrangement of spherical atoms, which are cycled through the body through respiration and create thought and sensory input. The only records of Leucippus come from Aristotle and Theophrastus, ancient philosophers who lived after him, and little is known of his life. Most scholars agree that ...
Atomic theory (early) Democritus (c. 460 – c. 370 BC) [62] Founder of atomism in cosmology. Atomic theory (modern) Father Roger Boscovich (1711–1787) [63] First coherent description of atomic theory. John Dalton (1766–1844) [64] First scientific description of the atom as a building block for more complex structures. Atomic bomb
The work of Democritus survives only in secondhand reports, some of which are unreliable or conflicting. Much of the best evidence of Democritus' theory of atomism is reported by Aristotle (384–322 BCE) in his discussions of Democritus' and Plato's contrasting views on the types of indivisibles composing the natural world. [16]
Epicurus studied in Athens with Nausiphanes, who was a follower of Democritus and a student of Pyrrho of Elis. [72] He accepted Democritus' theory of atomism, with improvements made in response to criticisms by Aristotle and others. [73] His ethics were based on "the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain". [74]
This was a point which Epicureans often used to criticize Democritus' atomic theory. [41] Epicureans believed that senses also relied on atoms. Every object was continually emitting particles from itself that would then interact with the observer. [42] All sensations, such as sight, smell, or sound, relied on these particles. [42]
He professed that from our human point of view there are two aspects to the study of the universe of which we must be aware, on the one hand how we see it, and on the other how it must really be. Motion is a fact from our point of view, but Parmenides argues that as far as things must really be, it is logically impossible that motion could ...
The poem consists of six untitled books, in dactylic hexameter.The first three books provide a fundamental account of being and nothingness, matter and space, the atoms and their movement, the infinity of the universe both as regards time and space, the regularity of reproduction (no prodigies, everything in its proper habitat), the nature of mind (animus, directing thought) and spirit (anima ...