Democritus

Democritus (/dɪˈmɒkrɪtəs/, 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.

For other uses, see Democritus (disambiguation).

Democritus
Roman bust of a philosopher, possibly Democritus. Villa of the Papyri.
Bornc. 460 BC
Abdera, Thrace
Diedc. 370 BC
EraPre-Socratic philosophy
RegionWestern philosophy
SchoolAtomism
Main interests
  • Nature
Notable ideas
  • Atoms and the void as the fundamental constituents of the physical world

None of Democritus' original work has survived, except through second-hand references. Many of these references come from Aristotle, who viewed him as an important rival in the field of natural philosophy.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.