Democritus

Democritus (/dɪˈmɒkrɪtəs/; Greek: Δημόκριτος Dēmókritos, meanin "chosen o the fowk"; c. 460 – c. 370 BC) wis an influential Auncient Greek pre-Socratic philosopher primarily remembered the day for his formulation o an atomic theory o the universe.^[3]

Democritus
Born	c. 460 BC Abdera, Thrace
Dee'd	c. 370 BC (aged aroond 90)
Era	Pre-Socratic philosophie
Region	Western philosophie
Schuil	Pre-Socratic philosophie
Main interests	Metapheesics Mathematics Astronomy
Notable ideas	Atomism[n 1] Aetiology (causality)[1] The Milky Way (Via Lactea) as a concentration o distant starns[2]
Influences Leucippus Melissus o Samos
Influenced Epicurus Pyrrho Lucretius Aristotle Montaigne Severino Baruch Spinoza George Santayana Karl Marx Friedrich Nietzsche Michel Onfray

Democritus wis born in Abdera, Thrace,^[4] aroond 460 BC, awtho thare are disgreements about the exact year. His exact contreibutions are difficult tae disentangle frae thae o his mentor Leucippus, as thay are eften mentioned thegither in texts. Thair speculation on atoms, taken frae Leucippus, beirs a passin an pairtial resemblance tae the 19t-century unnerstaundin o atomic structur that haes led some tae regaird Democritus as mair o a scientist nor ither Greek philosophers; houiver, thair ideas restit on verra different bases.^[5] Lairgely ignored in auncient Athens, Democritus is said tae hae been disliked sae muckle bi Plato that the latter wished aw o his beuks birned.^[6] He wis nivertheless weel kent tae his fellae northren-born philosopher Aristotle. Mony conseder Democritus tae be the "faither o modren science".^[7] Nane o his writins hae survived; anerly fragments are kent from his vast bouk o wark.^[8]

Notes

1. The idea that atoms an void as the fundamental constituents o the warld (DK B125: "ἐτεῇ δὲ ἄτομα καὶ κενόν").