THE SCIENTIST OF THE MONTH

This month, our famous scientist is Democritus.

"Nothing exists except atoms and empty space;

everything else is opinion".

Some things about Democritus:

Who was Democritus?

Democritus was an ancient Greek philosopher. He and his mentor, Leucippus, are widely regarded as the first atomists in the Grecian tradition. Although Democritus reportedly wrote over 70 treatises, only a few hundred fragments have survived. Most of what we know about Democritus comes from the works of Aristotle, his rival in philosophy.

What is Democritus known for?

Democritus was a central figure in the development of the atomic theory of the universe. He theorized that all material bodies are made up of indivisibly small “atoms.” Aristotle famously rejected atomism in On Generation and Corruption. Aristotle refused to believe that the whole of reality is reducible to a system of atoms, as Democritus said. As it turned out, though, Democritus was right.

When was Democritus born, and when did he die?

Relatively little is known about the life and death of Democritus. According to most reports, Democritus was born circa 460 BCE and died some 90 years later, about 370 BCE.

Is "democracy" named for Democritus?

No. Despite its phonetic similarity to Democritus, democracy is not named for Democritus. The word democracy is actually derived from the Greek dēmokratiā, which in turn derives from the Greek dēmos (meaning “people”) and kratos (meaning “rule”).

Information found in https://www.britannica.com/biography/Democritus

DEMOCRITUS, THE LAUGHING PHILOSOPHER