The ancient Greek philosopher Democritus was born about 460 BC. e. in Thrace, in the city of Abdera. Before there was a colony of Phoenicians. The ancient Greeks associated the appearance of the city with Heracles, who erected it in honor of Abder's best friend, torn to pieces by the mares of Diomedes.
Biographical Information
Unfortunately, the biography of Democritus has many white spots. It is known that his father was a high-ranking official who was famous for his merits to the Persian king Xerxes. For this, the ruler gave the nobleman several magicians and scientists. They were engaged in the formation of Democritus. As a child, he studied astrology and theology. When dying, the father bequeathed a fortune to his three sons. Democritus was the youngest of them and took the smallest share.
The young man became interested in science and was focused only on his studies, almost not paying attention to domestic problems or costs. The biography of Democritus consists entirely of various studies and travels intended for them. Often he sat for days on end in his gazebo, in which he was completely isolated from what was happening outside. Democritus was a long-liver. He died around 370 BC. e. a deep old man. The ancient Greek writer Lucian (also interested in cosmology) wrote that the thinker lived for more than a hundred years.
Doctrine of atoms
Most of all, the biography of Democritus is known for the fact that it was this ancient researcher who developed the doctrine of the smallest particle - the atom. This theory was laid down by his teacher Leucippus. Democritus continued his research of the ancient Greek philosopher and came to the conclusion that the whole world consists of microscopic atoms. These particles do not arise and are not destroyed, they have a certain shape and are impermeable. In addition to atoms, there is also a void, which is completely opposite to them. These two matters were the main objects of study of Democritus. The ancient Greek scientist concluded that all whole things consist of countless small particles, which, in addition, also determine the properties of the whole. Depending on the interaction of atoms and their impact on the human senses, the qualities of objects and things also change. Concepts such as color or taste exist only in our minds, but in reality there are only the smallest particles and emptiness.
Atoms cannot touch each other - there is always space between them. And this means that there is emptiness. The atomistic doctrine of Democritus included the concepts of repulsion and attraction of particles that were too close to each other. He drew all these conclusions only as an assumption. Subsequently, science confirmed his thesis.
Disputes with Eleatics
The philosopher Democritus became an opponent of the Eleat school. They claimed that the world was motionless. Democritus put forward the opposite thesis. It can be voiced in the form of a question: "If the world is motionless, then how can one explain all the changes that are taking place around?" Atomism had both adversaries and ardent supporters. For example, this teaching was supported in the future by Plato and Epicurus.
The biography of Democritus and his theses caused a new wave of interest during the European Renaissance of the XVI century, when numerous scientists tried to explain the world around. Atomism was supported by Galileo, Giordano Bruno, Pierre Gassenli, Isaac Beckman and other famous thinkers of the era. The doctrine of microscopic particles of all things has become a reliable tool for chemists, for example, for John Dalton.
Inosomy Principle
The atomistic doctrine of Democritus gave philosophy the principle of inosomy. This rule was deduced by the ancient researcher himself. It can be formulated as follows: if any phenomenon does not contradict the principles and laws of nature, then sooner or later it will happen or has already taken place.
The principle of isonomy allowed us to draw several conclusions, which Democritus adhered to. The main ideas of this theory are several theses. First, atoms can have any size and shape. Secondly, there is the Great Void. Thirdly, a great number of atoms moving along it differ in speed and direction. This process does not have any rules. Everything moves in chaos and disorder. It was from this position that the ancient Greek philosopher Democritus concluded that each phenomenon or object was unique. Already in modern times, the great scientist Galileo formulated the principle of inertia. It was largely based on knowledge of isonomy.
Great Void
The concept of the Great Void had a great influence on the development of cosmology. The biography of the thinker Democritus inspired many philosophers who tried to explain the place of our world in Space (this term also has Greek roots).
According to atomic doctrine, at the very beginning of time in the Great Void was the initial chaos. A vortex formed in it, which carried heavy and light bodies, occupying different positions. Earth formed in the center. It was composed of heavy bodies that rushed to the core of the vortex. A protective film was formed from the remaining substance, separating the cosmos from the Great Void.
Abstracts of the Universe
Democritus (physics and natural sciences laid down by him) was a supporter of the theory that there are many different universes and worlds. They are endless and radically different from each other. In other worlds there are several suns and moons. Somewhere they do not exist at all, but there is only an analogue of the Earth in a lonely space. Some worlds collide and collapse. Their multiplicity follows from the principle of isonomy. All these theses were formulated and stated by the philosopher Democritus. The biography of the thinker includes a variety of research in the natural sciences.
Some of his points were wrong. For example, Democritus believed that the Earth is motionless (since it is in the center of the world). In addition, the thinker believed that our planet could not be round. He explained this by the fact that in this case the Sun would have set differently (along an arc of a circle, and not along a continuous straight line).
Cosmology
The biography (many monographs have been written about Democritus) contains the surprising conclusions of the scientist. So, he came to the conclusion that the Milky Way in the sky is nothing but a colossal cluster of stars. Due to the fact that at a great distance the distance between them merges into one spot, an amazing picture is obtained above the head of the Greeks. Democritus devoted much time to the study of centrifugal force. In his works, one can find the thesis that precisely thanks to this phenomenon, meteorites and other celestial bodies do not fall on the Earth.
Reflection in the sources
Most of all, the biography of the physicist Democritus is surprising in that not one of his written works has survived to this day. There are several reasons for this. The main reason for this was a negligent attitude to the monuments of antiquity during the early Middle Ages. The treatises and books of Democritus were destroyed intentionally with the sanction of the Church or were stored in the terrible conditions of the then libraries.
That is why modern science and philosophy can only operate on those facts that were reflected in the writings of other scientists who argued with the ancient Greek thinker. Mention of Democritus is found in Aristotle, Cicero, Sextus, Epicurus, Plato, etc.
Most often in the sources appears the name "Great Worldbuilding." This work of Democritus was devoted to cosmology. In it, he tried to summarize the results of all his scientific activities. In addition, Democritus is known as the creator of one of the first ancient Greek calendars. He did not shy away from geometry, about which he left several works. In particular, he was the first to formulate some theorems and rules for determining the area of figures.