Short Biography of Democritus

Short biography of Democritus, dates: Democritus was born c. 460BC, and died c. 370BC.

Short biography of Democritus, overview: Democritus was a Greek philosopher, and the major recognised figure in the earliest developments of atomic theory.

Short biography of Democritus, details

The Life of Democritus

The little we know about the life of Democritus comes from untrustworthy sources, like Diogenes Laërtius. These suggest he was a wealthy, well travelled citizen of Abdera, in Thrace. Supposedly, he produced many works, but only a few hundred fragments have survived.

Democritus on the nature of space

Democritus suggested that space was an actually existing thing, which he called the Void. Later thinkers would argue against this. For instance, Leibniz believed that space was only given by the relationships between objects, and Kant suggested space was part of our way of experiencing the world and not a thing in itself. But others, like Newton, agreed with Democritus that you could have an empty Void that could exist in itself.

The atomic theory of Democritus

For Democritus, the Void was a vacuum, an infinite space containing the infinite number of atoms making up the physical world. These atoms, according to Democritus, are eternal, indivisible, incompressible, and composed of homogeneous matter that entirely fills the space they occupy.

Democritus' atoms differ in size, shape, and position. But differences of many other qualities, he suggested, were only apparent. For instance, colour, temperature, hardness could be explained through different configurations and movements of atoms.

Many properties of atoms were considered, by Democritus, to be to their shapes. For example, he considered that atoms of water were smooth speheres. This explained why water ran so smoothly and readily. Atoms of iron were rough, which explained how they could form solid bodies. 

Democritus believed that atoms were eternal and that, fundamentally, nothing was created or destroyed. He also thought that movement of atoms was eternal, as were the mechanical laws that determined the motion. This left no room for God as an intelligent cause and sustainer of the world. 

Cosmology according to Democritus

The origin of the universe, according to Democritus, began with an infinite number of atoms, moving in all directions, in an infinite Void. They collided and formed an infinite number of vortices. Then, an infinite number of worlds automatically condensed out of these vortices. There was no purpose or design involved, only natural laws. Because atoms and motion are eternal, the universe is eternal and new worlds are always being created, and old ones decaying into their constituent atoms.

Democritus on perception and knowledge

Democritus considered sensations to be changes produced in human beings by atoms emitted from other objects. Sensations like sweet and bitter were not part of the emitted atoms, but caused by their size and shape. Democritus thought colour sensations were caused by the shadows cast by atoms of particular shapes and positions.

Democritus on gods and ethics

Democritus thought simple people, wrongly, invoked the gods to explain purely natural phenomena like thunder, lightning, and earthquakes. His ethics also found supernatural explanations redundant. In common with much Greek philosophy, Democritus' ethics was about the individual achieving a happy life, in this world, through rational thinking. He sought a cheerfulness, peace and tranquilly undisturbed by fear, superstition or any other negative feelings or thoughts.