As you know, Ancient Greece became the parent of the current concepts of philosophy and some other sciences. It was from this country that the teachings of ancient Greek philosophers and scientists about being, various processes that occur in the world, including mental ones, came to us.
Aristotle, Plato, Archimedes, Diogenes, Socrates, Democritus, Leucippus, Epicurus and many others became the founders of the great science of philosophy. It was on their teachings that new, more advanced, or opposite ideas were based.
In this article we will talk more about who Democritus is. Such personalities as Aristotle and Socrates are most likely known even to children. In modern schools, in the history lessons, these people are necessarily mentioned. But the names Democritus, Epicurus, Leucippus are known in narrower circles among people who have chosen philosophy as the basis of their profession. The teachings of these philosophers are much more complex and deeper to understand.
Who is Democritus
Democritus (lat. Demokritos) is an ancient Greek philosopher. He was born around 460 BC and lived until 360 BC. The main merit of Democritus is the atomistic doctrine, the founder of which he became.
Nobody knows the exact date of birth of this philosopher. Some scientists of those times claimed that he was born in 460 BC. e., others - in 470 BC. e. In this case, it is impossible to say exactly who is right.
Of course, the biography of Democritus cannot be fully described. There are many inaccurate facts. However, with confidence we can talk about the origin of this philosopher from a wealthy family.
Lifestyle
Diogenes Laertius transmitted the legend that this philosopher studied under the magicians and Chaldeans, who were a gift from the Persian king to his father. Legend has it that the gift was given in gratitude for the fact that Xerxes’s army was fed dinner when passing through Thrace, the hometown of Democritus.
Democritus loved to travel. Therefore, his rich inheritance was spent precisely on this. During his life, Democritus visited at least 4 states - Egypt, Persia, India and Babylon.
There was a period in the life of the philosopher when he lived in Athens and studied on the writings of Socrates. There are also facts that Democritus met Anaxagoras at that time.
"Laughing" philosopher
Many contemporaries did not understand who Democritus was. He often left his city for the purpose of solitude. To hide from the bustle, he visited the cemetery. Often the behavior of Democritus was strange: he could burst out laughing for no apparent reason, simply because human problems seemed funny to him. Due to this feature of his behavior, he became known as the “laughing philosopher”.
Many considered the philosopher a little crazy. At that time, Hippocrates, a famous doctor of those times, who also left his mark on modernity, was specially invited to make a diagnosis. The result of a meeting with a philosopher was evidence that Democritus is absolutely healthy both mentally and physically. The doctor also noted the subtle mind of this philosopher.
Proceedings of Democritus
The name Democritus is associated with the emergence of one of the fundamental theories of philosophy - atomism. This theory combines such sciences as physics, cosmology, epistemology, psychology and ethics. It is generally accepted that this theory also united the problems of the three main ancient Greek philosophical schools: Pythagorean, Elean and Miletus.
Scientists claim that Democritus at one time became the author of more than 70 different treatises. The names of these works are given in the writings of Diogenes Laertius - he wrote more than other scientists about who Democritus is. As a rule, treatises were tetralogies in various sciences - mathematics, physics, ethics, literature, language, applied sciences and even medicine.
Separately, it is worth noting that Democritus was considered the author of the Chaldean Book and On the Sacred Inscriptions in Babylon. This is due to the legend that was created about the training and travels of the philosopher.
Materialism of Democritus
This philosopher is the most prominent representative of atomistic materialism. Democritus argued that the entire surrounding world according to sensory perception, changeable, diverse. Everything consists of matter and emptiness. It was then that the term “atom” was first introduced as the smallest indivisible component of all things. The doctrine of Democritus says that the whole world consists of atoms that move in the void.
This philosopher had his own theory of the appearance of the Earth in the center of a vortex, which was formed from collisions of atoms, different in weight, size and shape. Since the atom is material, indivisible and eternal, there are a large number of atoms, different in weight and shape. They themselves are devoid of content, and together form changeable things due to the constant movement in the void.
Democritus applied the postulates of atomism to the doctrine of life and soul. According to his writings, any living creature has a soul, but each to a different degree. Life and death are the result of the union or decomposition of atoms. Democritus said that the soul is a union of special "fiery" atoms, which, in its essence, is also temporary. Based on these arguments, the theory of the immortality of the soul was rejected by them.