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Western Philosophy
Pre-Socratic philosophy
Democritus
Name
Democritus
Birth ca. The Pre-Socratic Greek philosophers were active before Socrates or contemporaneously but expounding knowledge developed earlier 460 BC
Death ca. Events By place Persian Empire Egypt revolts against Persian rule 370 BC
School/tradition Pre-Socratic philosophy
Main interests metaphysics / mathematics / astronomy
Notable ideas Atomism, Distant Star Theory
Influenced by Leucippus, Melissus of Samos
Influenced Epicurus, Lucretius, Santayana, Nietzsche

Democritus (Greek: Δημόκριτος) was a pre-Socratic Greek materialist philosopher (born at Abdera in Thrace ca. Events By place Greece Cleomenes II succeeds his brother Agesipolis II as Agiad king of Sparta. The Pre-Socratic Greek philosophers were active before Socrates or contemporaneously but expounding knowledge developed earlier Metaphysics is the branch of Philosophy investigating principles of reality transcending those of any particular science Mathematics is the body of Knowledge and Academic discipline that studies such concepts as Quantity, Structure, Space and Astronomy (from the Greek words astron (ἄστρον "star" and nomos (νόμος "law" is the scientific study In Natural philosophy, atomism is the theory that all the objects in the universe are composed of very small indestructible building blocks - Atoms Or stated in Leucippus or Leukippos ( Greek, first half of 5th century BC was among the earliest philosophers of Atomism, the idea that everything is composed entirely Melissus of Samos (in Greek, Μέλισσος ὁ Σάμιος; probably born in 470 BC was a Samian Statesman and naval commander Titus Lucretius Carus (ca 99 BC- ca 55 BC was a Roman Poet and Philosopher. George Santayana ( December 16, 1863, Madrid &ndash September 26, 1952, Rome) was a Philosopher, Essayist Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (October 15 1844 August 25 1900 ( was a nineteenth-century German philosopher and classical philologist Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly The Pre-Socratic Greek philosophers were active before Socrates or contemporaneously but expounding knowledge developed earlier The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca The Philosophy of materialism holds that the only thing that can be truly proven to exist is Matter, and is considered a form of Physicalism. Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Abdera (Άβδηρα was a town on the coast of Thrace 17 km east-northeast of the mouth of the Nestos, and almost opposite Thasos. Thrace (Тракия Trakiya or "Trakija" or Trakia, Θράκη Thráki, Trakya is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe 460 BC - died ca 370 BC). Events By place Persian Empire Egypt revolts against Persian rule Events By place Greece Cleomenes II succeeds his brother Agesipolis II as Agiad king of Sparta. Democritus was a student of Leucippus and co-originator of the belief that all matter is made up of various imperishable, indivisible elements which he called atoma (sg. Leucippus or Leukippos ( Greek, first half of 5th century BC was among the earliest philosophers of Atomism, the idea that everything is composed entirely Matter is commonly defined as being anything that has mass and that takes up space. Many ancient philosophies used a set of archetypal classical "elements" to explain patterns in Nature. atomon) or "indivisible units", from which we get the English word atom. In Natural philosophy, atomism is the theory that all the objects in the universe are composed of very small indestructible building blocks - Atoms Or stated in It is virtually impossible to tell which of these ideas were unique to Democritus and which are attributable to Leucippus.

Contents

Life

Democritus was born in Abdera in Thrace, an Ionian colony of Teos,[1] although some called him a Milesian. Abdera (Άβδηρα was a town on the coast of Thrace 17 km east-northeast of the mouth of the Nestos, and almost opposite Thasos. Thrace (Тракия Trakiya or "Trakija" or Trakia, Θράκη Thráki, Trakya is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe The Ionians ( Greek:, Iōnes singular) were one of the three populations into which the Ancient Greeks considered the population of Hellenes to have been Teos (Greek Τέως or Teo, was a maritime city of Ionia, on a peninsula between Chytrium and Myonnesus The Milesians of Hellenic (Greek civilization were the inhabitants of Miletus, a city in the Anatolia province of modern-day Turkey, near [2] His year of birth was 460 BC according to Apollodorus, who is probably more reliable than Thrasyllus who placed it ten years earlier. Events By place Persian Empire Egypt revolts against Persian rule Thrasyllus of Mendes whose full name was Tiberius Claudius Thrasyllus (flourished 1st century BC & 1st century died 36 Greek: ο Τιβερίος Κλαύδιος [3] John Burnet has argued that the date of 460 is "too early", since according to Diogenes Laertius 9. John Burnet ( December 9, 1863 &ndash May 26, 1928) was a Scottish classicist. 41 Democritus said that he was a "young man (neos)" during Anaxagoras' old age (circa 440-428). Anaxagoras ( Greek: Ἀναξαγόρας c 500 BC &ndash 428 BC was a Pre-Socratic Greek philosopher famous for introducing the Cosmological [4] It was said that Democritus' father was so wealthy that he received Xerxes on his march through Abdera. Democritus spent the inheritance which his father left him on travels into distant countries, to satisfy his thirst for knowledge. He travelled to Asia, and was even said to have reached India and Ethiopia. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page [5] We know that he wrote on Babylon and Meroe; he must also have visited Egypt, and Diodorus Siculus states that he lived there for five years. Babylon was a City-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which can be found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq Meroë ( Meroitic: Medewi or Bedewi; Arabic: ar مرواه ar-Latn Meruwah) is the name of an ancient city on the east bank of the This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. [6] He himself declared,[7] that among his contemporaries none had made greater journeys, seen more countries, and met more scholars than himself. He particularly mentions the Egyptian mathematicians, whose knowledge he praises. A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study and research is the field of Mathematics. Theophrastus, too, spoke of him as a man who had seen many countries. Theophrastus ( Greek:; 371 – c 287 BC a Greek native of Eressos in Lesbos, was the successor of Aristotle in the Peripatetic [8] During his travels, according to Diogenes Laertius, he became acquainted with the Chaldean magi. A certain "Ostanes", one of the magi accompanying Xerxes was also said to have taught him. Ostanes is also a spider genus ( Thomisidae) Ostanes

After returning to his native land he occupied himself with natural philosophy. He travelled throughout Greece to acquire a knowledge of its culture. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία He mentions many Greek philosophers in his writings, and his wealth enabled him to purchase their writings. Leucippus, the founder of the atomism, was the greatest influence upon him. Leucippus or Leukippos ( Greek, first half of 5th century BC was among the earliest philosophers of Atomism, the idea that everything is composed entirely In Natural philosophy, atomism is the theory that all the objects in the universe are composed of very small indestructible building blocks - Atoms Or stated in He also praises Anaxagoras. Anaxagoras ( Greek: Ἀναξαγόρας c 500 BC &ndash 428 BC was a Pre-Socratic Greek philosopher famous for introducing the Cosmological [9] The tradition that he was friends with Hippocrates seems to have been based on spurious letters. Hippocrates of Cos II or Hippokrates of Kos ( ca. 460 BC – ca [10] He may have been acquainted with Socrates, but Plato does not mention him, and Aristotle viewed him as a pre-Socratic. SOCRATES is the European Community action programme in the field of Education. Biography Early life Birth and family Plato was born in Athens Greece Aristotle (Greek Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC was a Greek philosopher a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. The Pre-Socratic Greek philosophers were active before Socrates or contemporaneously but expounding knowledge developed earlier [11] Democritus himself is quoted as saying, "I came to Athens and no one knew me. "[12]

The many anecdotes about Democritus, especially in Diogenes Laërtius, attest to his disinterestedness, modesty, and simplicity, and show that he lived exclusively for his studies. Diogenes Laërtius ( Greek:, Diogénes Laértios) the biographer of the Greek Philosophers, is supposed by some to have received his surname One story has him deliberately blinding himself in order to be less disturbed in his pursuits;[13] it may well be true that he lost his sight in old age. Old age consists of ages nearing or surpassing the Average life span of Human beings and thus the end of the human life cycle. He was cheerful, and was always ready to see the comical side of life, which later writers took to mean that he always laughed at the foolishness of people. [14]

He was highly esteemed by his fellow-citizens, "because," as Diogenes Laërtius says, "he had foretold them some things which events proved to be true," which may refer to his knowledge of natural phaenomena. According to Diodorus Siculus,[15] Democritus died at the age of 90, which would put his death around 370 BC, but other writers have him living to 104,[16] or even 109. Events By place Greece Cleomenes II succeeds his brother Agesipolis II as Agiad king of Sparta. [17]

Atoms and the void

Democritus agreed that everything which is must be eternal, but denied that "the void" can be equated with nothing. This makes him the first thinker on record to argue the existence of an entirely empty "void". In order to explain the change around us from basic, unchangeable substance he created a theory that argued that there are various basic elements which always existed but can be rearranged into many different forms. Democritus' theory argued that atoms only had several properties, particularly size, shape, and (perhaps) weight; all other properties that we attribute to matter, such as color and taste, are but the result of complex interactions between the atoms in our bodies and the atoms of the matter that we are examining. Furthermore, he believed that the real properties of atoms determine the perceived properties of matter--for example, something that is solid is made of small, pointy atoms, while something that has water like properties is made of large, round atoms. Some types of matter are particularly solid because their atoms have hooks to attach to each other; some are oily because they are made of very fine, small atoms which can easily slip past each other. In Democritus' own words, "By convention sweet, by convention bitter, by convention hot, by convention cold, by convention colour: but in reality atoms and void. "

Aristotle tells us that this theory of matter, commonly called atomism, was a reaction to Parmenides, who denied the existence of motion, change, or the void. In Natural philosophy, atomism is the theory that all the objects in the universe are composed of very small indestructible building blocks - Atoms Or stated in Parmenides of Elea ( Greek:, early 5th century BC was an Ancient Greek Philosopher born in Elea, a Greek city on the southern coast of Parmenides argued that the existence of a thing implied that it could not have "come into being", because "nothing comes from nothing". Nothing comes from nothing is a philosophical expression of a thesis first argued by Parmenides, often stated in its Latin form Ex nihilo nihil Moreover, he argued, movement was impossible, because one must move into "the void" and (as he identified "the void" with "nothing") the void does not exist and cannot be "moved into". His main contribution to chemistry was the suggestion of the atom which he called "atomos".

Soul, sense, and reason

Though intelligence is allowed to explain the organization of the world, according to Democritus, he does allow for the existence of a soul, which he contends is composed of exceedingly fine and spherical atoma (now called atoms, as mentioned above). The soul, according to many religious and philosophical beliefs is the self-awareness, or Consciousness, unique to a particular living He holds that, "spherical atoma move because it is their nature never to be still, and as they move they draw the whole body along with them, and set it in motion. " In this way, he viewed soul-atoma as being similar to fire-atoma: small, spherical, capable of penetrating solid bodies and good examples of spontaneous motion.

Democritus explained senses along these lines as well. He hypothesized that different tastes were a result of differently shaped atoms in contact with the tongue. Smells and sounds could be explained similarly. Vision works by the eye receiving "images" or "effluences" of bodies that are emanated. He stated that, "Sweet exists by convention, bitter by convention, color by convention; but in reality atoms and the void alone exist. " This means that senses could not provide a direct or certain knowledge of the world. In his words, "It's necessary to realize that by this principle man is cut off from the real. " Later philosophers use this to deny that any reliable knowledge can be obtained, but Democritus felt differently:

There are two forms of knowledge: one legitimate, one bastard. To the latter form belong all the following: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch. The legitimate is quite distinct from this. When the bastard form cannot see more minutely, nor hear nor smell nor taste nor perceive through touch, then another, finer form must be employed. - Democritus, Fragment 11, The Symmetry of Life

One view purports that this finer form is reasoning, although Democritus does not explain reason's place in the atomistic view.

Scientific interest

Mathematics

A right circular cone and an oblique circular cone
A right circular cone and an oblique circular cone

He was also a pioneer of mathematics and geometry in particular. We only know this through citations of his works (titled On Numbers, On Geometrics, On Tangencies, On Mapping, and On Irrationals) in other writings, since most of Democritus' body of work did not survive the Middle Ages. Democritus was among the first to observe that a cone or pyramid has one-third the volume of a cylinder or prism respectively with the same base and height. A cone is a three-dimensional Geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat round base to a point called the apex or vertex A pyramid is a Building where the upper surfaces are triangular and converge on one point The volume of any solid plasma vacuum or theoretical object is how much three- Dimensional space it occupies often quantified numerically A cylinder is one of the most basic curvilinear geometric shapes the Surface formed by the points at a fixed distance from a given Straight line, the axis General right and uniform prisms A right prism is a prism in which the joining edges and faces are perpendicular to the base faces

Minerals and plants

Petronius in his Satyricon states that "Democritus. Petronius (ca 27–66 was a Roman writer of the Neronian age he was a noted satirist. Satyricon (or Satyrica) is a Latin work of fiction in a mixture of prose and poetry . . extracted the essence of every known herb and then devoted the rest of his life to researches into the properties of minerals and plants. " [18]

Astronomy

Democritus was also the first philosopher we know who realized that the celestial body we perceive as the Milky Way is formed from the light of distant stars. s are significant physical entities, associations or structures which current Science has confirmed to exist in Space. The Milky Way (a translation of the Latin Via Lactea, in turn derived from the Greek Γαλαξίας (Galaxias sometimes referred to simply A star is a massive luminous ball of plasma. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the Energy on Earth Other philosophers, including later Aristotle, argued against this. Aristotle (Greek Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC was a Greek philosopher a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. Democritus was among the first to propose that the universe contains many worlds, some of them inhabited:

"In some worlds there is no Sun and Moon while in others they are larger than in our world and in others more numerous. The Universe is defined as everything that Physically Exists: the entirety of Space and Time, all forms of Matter, Energy In some parts there are more worlds, in others fewer (. . . ); in some parts they are arising, in others failing. There are some worlds devoid of living creatures or plants or any moisture. "

Hendrick ter Brugghen, "Democritus Laughing" (1629)
Hendrick ter Brugghen, "Democritus Laughing" (1629)

Epistemology

The knowledge of truth according to Democritus is difficult, since the perception through the senses is subjective. Hendrick Jansz ter Brugghen, or Terbrugghen, (1588 &ndash Nov 1 1629) was a Dutch painter and a leading member of the Dutch followers As from the same senses derive different impressions for each individual, then through the sense-impressions we cannot judge the truth. We can only interpret the sense data through the intellect and grasp the truth, because the truth (aletheia) is at the bottom (en bythoe).

And again, many of the other animals receive impressions contrary to ours; and even to the senses of each individual, things do not always seem the same. Which then, of these impressions are true and which are false is not obvious; for the one set is no more true than the other, but both are alike. And this is why Democritus, at any rate, says that either there is no truth or to us at least it is not evident. ”(Aristotle, Metaphysics IV, 1009 b 7).

Democritus . . says: By convention hot, by convention cold, but in reality atoms and void, and also in reality we know nothing, since the truth is at bottom. ” (Fr. 117, Diogenes Laertius IX, 72).

There are two kinds of knowing, the one he calls “legitimate” (gnesie: genuine) and the other “bastard” (skotie: obscure). The “bastard” knowledge is concerned with the perception through the senses, therefore it is insufficient and subjective. The reason is that the sense-perception is due to the effluences of the atoms (aporroai) from the objects to the senses. When these different shapes of atoms come to us, stimulate our senses according to their shape, and there from arise our sense-impressions. (Fr. 135, Theophrastus De Sensu 49-83).

The second sort of knowledge, the “legitimate” one, can be achieved through the intellect, in other words, all the sense-data from the “bastard” must be elaborated through reasoning. In this way one can get away from the false perception of the “bastard” knowledge and grasp the truth through the inductive reasoning. Therefore, the man after taking into account the sense-impressions, can examine the causes of the appearances, draw conclusions about the laws that govern the appearances, and find out the causality (aetiologia) by which they are related. This is the procedure of thought from the parts to the whole or else from the apparent to non-apparent (inductive reasoning). Induction or inductive reasoning, sometimes called inductive logic, is the process of Reasoning in which the premises of an argument are believed “ But in the Canons Democritus says there are two kinds of knowing, one through the senses and the other through the intellect. Of these he calls the one through the intellect ‘legitimate’ attesting its trustworthiness for the judgement of truth, and through the senses he names ‘bastard’ denying its inerrancy in the discrimination of what is true. To quote his actual words: Of knowledge there are two forms, one legitimate, one bastard. To the bastard belong all this group: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch. The other is legitimate and separate from that. Then, preferring the legitimate to the bastard, he continues: When the bastard can no longer see any smaller, or hear, or smell, or taste, or perceive by touch, but finer matters have to be examined, then comes the legitimate, since it has a finer organ of perception. ” (Fr. 11 Sextus, Adv. Math. VII, 138).

“ In the Confirmations . . he says: But we in actuality grasp nothing for certain, but what shifts in accordance with the condition of the body and of the things (atoms) which enter it and press upon it. ” (Fr. 9 Sextus Adv. Math. VII 136).

“ Democritus used to say that 'he prefers to discover a causality rather than become a king of Persia'. ” (Fr. 118)

(Excerpt from Democritus' Gnoseology 'Handbook of Greek Philosophy: From Thales to the Stoics Analysis and Fragments', Nikolaos Bakalis, Trafford Publishing 2005, ISBN 1-4120-4843-5.

Ethics

Although Democritus is best known as the propounder of atomism, most of his extant fragments actually relate to the field of ethics. Ethics is a major branch of Philosophy, encompassing right conduct and good life The excerpts are notably fragments quoted by other authors (mostly Stobaeus) and attributed to Democritus, who is also known as "The Laughing Philosopher" (for laughing at human follies) and by his fellow citizens as "The Mocker". Joannes Stobaeus ( Greek: Στοβαῖος so called from his native place Stobi in North Macedonia (Roman province, was the compiler of a valuable series Modern scholars credit Democritus with being "the earliest thinker reported as having explicitly posited a supreme good or goal, which he called 'cheerfulness' or 'wellbeing', and which he appears to have identified with the untroubled enjoyment of life ([ DK 68] B 188: 'Joy and sorrow are the distinguishing mark of things beneficial and harmful'. Hermann Alexander Diels ( May 18, 1848 - June 4, 1922) was a German classical scholar . . ). "[19] According to Democritus' philosophy, this supreme good was to be achieved through moderation in the pursuit of pleasure, distiguishing useful pleasures from harmful ones, and conforming to conventional morality. This seems to constitute "a recommendation to a life of moderate, enlightened hedonism" similar to that presented by Socrates in Plato's Protagoras and later made famous by Epicurus. Hedonism is the Philosophy that Pleasure is of ultimate importance, the most important pursuit Protagoras is a Dialogue of Plato. The main Argument is between the elderly Protagoras, a celebrated Sophist, and [20]

Among numerous examples of the Democritean ethical fragments are the following:

Notes

  1. ^ Aristote, de Coel. iii. 4, Meteor. ii. 7
  2. ^ Diogenes Laërtius, ix. 34, etc.
  3. ^ Diogenes Laërtius, ix. 41
  4. ^ p. 194, Greek Philosophy: Thales to Plato, London: Macmillan, 1955.
  5. ^ Cicero, de Finibus, v. 19; Strabo, xvi.
  6. ^ Diodorus Siculus, i. 98
  7. ^ Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, i.
  8. ^ Aelian, Varia Historia, iv. 20; Diogenes Laërtius, ix. 35.
  9. ^ Diogenes Laërtius, ii. 14; Sextus Empiricus, adv. Math. vii. 140.
  10. ^ Diogenes Laërtius, ix. 42
  11. ^ Aristotle, Metaph. xiii. 4; Phys. ii. 2, de Partib. Anim. i. 1
  12. ^ Diogenes Laertius 9. 36 and Cicero Tusculanae Quaestiones 5. 36. 104, cited in p. 349 n. 2 of W. K. C. Guthrie, A History of Greek Philosophy, vol. William Keith Chambers Guthrie ( 1 August 1906 &ndash 17 May 1981) was a Scottish Classical scholar, best known for his History 2, Cambridge 1965.
  13. ^ Cicero, de Fin. v. 29; Aulus Gellius, x. 17; Diogenes Laërtius, ix. 36; Cicero, Tusculanae Quaestiones v. 39
  14. ^ Seneca, de Ira, ii. 10; Aelian, Varia Historia, iv. 20.
  15. ^ Diodorus Siculus, 14. 11. 5
  16. ^ Lucian, Macrobii 18
  17. ^ Hipparchus ap. Diogenes Laërtius, ix. 43
  18. ^ Petronius. Satyricon. Trans. William Arrowsmith. New York: A Meridian Book, 1987.
  19. ^ p. 125, C. C. W. Taylor, "Democritus", in C. Rowe & M. Schofield (eds. ), Greek and Roman Political Thought, Cambridge 2005.
  20. ^ Taylor, "Democritus", p. 125.

See also

References

External links


Persondata
NAME Democritus
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Δημόκριτος
SHORT DESCRIPTION pre-Socratic Greek philosopher
DATE OF BIRTH ca. The MacTutor History of Mathematics archive is an award-winning website maintained by John J The Pre-Socratic Greek philosophers were active before Socrates or contemporaneously but expounding knowledge developed earlier The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language 460 BC
PLACE OF BIRTH Abdera in Thrace
DATE OF DEATH died ca 370 BC
PLACE OF DEATH

Events By place Persian Empire Egypt revolts against Persian rule Abdera (Άβδηρα was a town on the coast of Thrace 17 km east-northeast of the mouth of the Nestos, and almost opposite Thasos. Thrace (Тракия Trakiya or "Trakija" or Trakia, Θράκη Thráki, Trakya is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe Events By place Greece Cleomenes II succeeds his brother Agesipolis II as Agiad king of Sparta.

Dictionary

Democritus

-proper noun

  1. A Greek philosopher.
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