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Democritus: Atoms
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Perhaps according to both of them and certainly according to Democritus, the atom was the irreducibly minimal quantity of matter. The concept of the infinite divisibility of matter was flatly contradicted by the atomic theory, since within the interior of the atom there could be no physical parts or unoccupied space. Every atom was exactly like every other atom as a piece of corporeal stuff. But the atoms differed in shape, and since their contours showed an infinite variety and could be oriented in any direction and arranged in any order, the atoms could enter into countless combinations. In their solid interior there was no motion, while they themselves could move about in empty space. Thus, for the atomic theory, the physical universe had two basic ingredients: impenetrable atoms and penetrable space.
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Democritus, known in antiquity as the ‘laughing philosopher’ because of his emphasis on the value of ‘cheerfulness,’ was one of the two founders of ancient atomist theory. He elaborated a system originated by his teacher Leucippus into a materialist account of the natural world. The atomists held that there are smallest indivisible bodies from which everything else is composed, and that these move about in an infinite void space. Of the ancient materialist accounts of the natural world which did not rely on some kind of teleology or purpose to account for the apparent order and regularity found in the world, atomism was the most influential. Even its chief critic, Aristotle, praised Democritus for arguing from sound considerations appropriate to natural philosophy.
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Democritus did not originate the atomic theory; he learned it from its founder, Leucippus, the author of the Big Cosmology. While this work too has vanished, some conception of its contents may be obtained from Aristotle. He opposed the atomic theory, but in doing so he summarized its principal doctrines. Thus he attributed to Leucippus the ideas that the atoms are "infinite in number and imperceptible because of the minuteness of their size. They move about in empty space (for there is empty space) and by joining together they produce perceptible objects, which are destroyed when the atoms separate." The point at which Leucippus's elaboration of the atomic theory stopped and Democritus's contributions to it began can no longer be identified.
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Democritus expanded the atomic theory of Leucippus. He maintained the impossibility of dividing things ad infinitum. From the difficulty of assigning a beginning of time, he argued the eternity of existing nature, of void space, and of motion. He supposed the atoms, which are originally similar, to be impenetrable and have a density proportionate to their volume. All motions are the result of active and passive affection. He drew a distinction between primary motion and its secondary effects, that is, impulse and reaction.
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Democritus was born in Abdera in the north of Greece. Very little is known of his life, although he is said to have travelled to Egypt and Persia. Diogenes Laertius quotes him as saying: "I came to Athens and no-one knew me." Plato makes no mention of him but Aristotle credits him with the originating of the theory of Atomism. He wrote well over fifty books on subjects as various as ethics, physics, mathematics, music, literature, logic and language. Yet very few genuine fragments of his work survive and his long lasting effect on western science and philosophy has been via Epicurus.
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Democritus, an early Greek philosopher, hypothesized that all matter is composed of tiny indestructible units, called atoms. The atoms themselves remain unchanged, but move in space to form visible objects. Early atomic theory stated that the characteristics of an object are determined by the shape of the atom. Democritus ... believed that all matter was made up of four basic elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Though he was proven incorrect many centuries later, Democritus was the first step toward the current atomic theory.
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