Democritus Introduction
The Greek philosopher, historian, scientist, and atomist Democritus was born in the middle of 460 BC in the city of Abdera, on the Mediterranean coast, and died around 370 BC Son of a noble family, he dedicated his life to studies and science to deepen his knowledge and develop their theories. To do this, he visited a series of cities in Egypt, Persia, Babylon, Ethiopia, and India.
The atomistic philosophical scientific model developed by the Greeks in the 19th century made Democritus considered one of the greatest scientific authors and the father of scientific practices used until the 21st century. The writings and fragments on the development of Democritus’ philosophy were analyzed by Aristotle.
Main Ideas and Questions
Democritus’ theories go beyond philosophy. The author also wrote about linguistics, elements of nature, music, astronomy, ethics, physics, and mathematics. However, he was prominent in developing the atomistic theory of Leucippus of Miletus, of whom he was a disciple.
In most of his writings, the philosopher is attentive to the origin and changes of things, elements, and events that were part of everyday life. Cicero states that Democritus’ works and theories are written in a very literary way as if they were philosophical and scientific poems.
In relation to orders and social interactions, Democritus preached about man’s search for the tranquility of spirit. Such a search should be free from emotions and fears and guaranteed by fair laws of coexistence.
In mathematics, he developed studies on geometric figures, the volume of bodies, angles, and tangents, and irrational numbers. Democritus’ ideas and questions cause him to be classified as pre-Socratic, although they were contemporary.
Atomist Philosophy
Although he developed a series of theories and writings, it was in the field of science, description, and definition of atoms that Democritus’ works became best known and received greater recognition in the centuries after his death. Still, in the 21st century, some scientific models proposed by the Greeks are frequently used.
According to Democritus, the atoms that make up the universe are equal in quality, but have different shapes and volumes. All atoms are in constant movement in the universe and group together in different and varied ways, thus forming different bodies.
Democritus’ atomist doctrine also states that atoms are geometrically divisible but physically indivisible and when they come together to form matter, some small spaces appear between them. Democritus’ explanation of the formation of matter is called Geometric Atomism.
The atom is therefore the primordial and necessary element for the formation of all existing elements in the world. Every universe for Democritus is composed of two basic elements: the void and the atoms. The human body is therefore, in Democritus’ view, a composite of atoms united in a compacted manner.
Materialism
Democritus’s views and works classify him as a materialist philosopher. For materialists, material conditions are enough to explain all natural phenomena. Democritus makes use of the materiality of the atom to explain the natural elements.
The philosopher’s questions were aimed at understanding what were the circumstances that led to the occurrence of certain facts, without taking into account the purpose of the event.
Democritus therefore reduced all explanations to material and mechanical elements. Everything would be explained based on the interaction between physical elements governed by natural laws, just as he defines the meeting of atoms and the formation of elements.
Main Influences
To create the atomist theory, Democritus came into contact with the works of some philosophers who influenced his way of thinking and constructing knowledge. Democritus’ main influencers are:
1. Melissus of Samos;
2. Anaximander;
3. Leucippus.
The works of Democritus also served as inspiration for the creation of theories by other philosophers, the main ones influenced are:
1. Epicurus
2. Lucretius.
Both Epicurus and Lucretius developed the atomist theory and created a new model of atomic movement that would explain the collision between atoms and the formation of matter.
Even with the original idea of the atom being renewed from the 18th century onwards, Democritus was still a source of research for the Renaissance thinkers Giordano Bruno, Galileo, and Spinoza.