Atoms and the void
"By convention sweet, by convention bitter; in reality only atoms and void." With two concepts Democritus explained the whole world — Marx called him the first encyclopedic mind of Greece.
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Democritus
Great systematizer of ancient atomism
Those Who Ground an Idea Into a Whole System · Disciples & School-Builders
AtomismMaterialismDeterminism
Who they are
Democritus (c. 460–370 BC), with his teacher Leucippus, founded atomism: all things are indivisible atoms moving and combining in the void, the soul included. This thoroughgoing materialism and determinism passed through Gassendi into modern science two millennia later and directly inspired atomic theory.
Primary sourcesDiels–Kranz, Fragments of the PresocraticsAristotle’s reports of atomism
Key stories
Relationships
Disciple
Echoes today
Below are how modern works borrow or reinterpret this name or story — not the original material. The two differ, so keep them apart.
The atomThe word "atom" and the very idea of atomic theory descend from ancient atomism.