Democritus: Difference between revisions

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Democritus (Greek: Δημόκριτος) was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher (born at Abdera in Thrace around 450 BC)^[1]. Democritus was a student of Leucippus and co-originator of the belief that all matter is made up of various imperishable indivisible (or perhaps undivided) elements which he called "atoma", from which we get the English word atom. It is virtually impossible to tell which of these ideas were unique to Democritus and which are attributable to Leucippus.

According to legend, Democritus was supposed to be mad because he laughed at everything, and so he was sent to Hippocrates to be cured. Hippocrates pointed out that he was not mad, but, instead, had a happy disposition. That is why Democritus is sometimes called the laughing philosopher.

Democritus was born at Abdera, about 450 BCE. His father was from a rich noble family and contributed largely towards the entertainment of the army of Xerxes. Democritus was instructed by Magi in astronomy and theology, especially Ostanes (serving Xerxes in his campaign against Greece, 480 BC). After the death of his father, he traveled in search of wisdom, and devoted his inheritance, amounting to one hundred talents, to this. He supposedly visited Egypt, Ethiopia, Persia, and India. During some part of his life, he was instructed in Pythagoreanism and was a disciple of Leucippus. After several years of traveling, Democritus returned to Abdera with no money left. His brother Damosis took him in. According to the law of Abdera, whoever wasted his riches would be deprived of the rites of burial. Democritus, hoping to avoid this disgrace, gave public lectures. He acquired fame with his knowledge of natural phenomena and predicted changes in the weather. He used this ability to make people believe that he could predict the future. They not only viewed him as something more than mortal but even proposed to put him in control of their public affairs. He preferred a quiet life and therefore declined and passed the remainder of his days in solitude. He was said to have lived to a great age and his works numbered seventy-three.

What was real to Democritus consists of the atoms and the "nothing". According to Democritus's beliefs, atoms are indestructible, eternal, and in constant motion. They are not all the same as they differ in shape and position. When the atoms move they come into contact with other atoms and form bodies. A thing comes into being when the atoms that make it up are appropriately associated, and it passes away when these parts disperse. The idea of atoms was controversial to others at the time, but became more amenable with the studies of Aristotle.

Although intelligence is not allowed to explain the organization of the world, according to Democritus, he does give place for the existence of a soul, which he contends is composed of exceedingly fine and spherical atoms. He holds that, "spherical atoms move because it is their nature never to be still, and that as they move they draw the whole body along with them, and set it in motion." In this way, he viewed soul-atoms as being similar to fire-atoms: small, spherical, capable of penetrating solid bodies and good examples of spontaneous motion.

Democritus explained senses along these lines, as well. He hypothesized that different tastes were a result of differently shaped atoms in contact with the tongue. Smells and sounds could be explained similarly. Vision works by the eye receiving "images" or "effluences" of bodies that are emanated. He stated that, "Sweet exists by convention, bitter by convention, color by convention; but in reality atoms and the void alone exist." This means that senses could not provide a direct or certain knowledge of the world. In his words, "It is necessary to realize that by this principle man is cut off from the real." Later philosophers use this to assert that any reliable knowledge can be obtained, but Democritus felt differently:

This finer form is reasoning, although Democritus does not explain reason's place in the atomistic view.

He was also a pioneer of mathematics and geometry in particular. We only know this through citations of his works (titled On Numbers, On Geometrics, On Tangencies, On Mapping, and On Irrationals) in other writings, since most of Democritus' body of work did not survive the Middle Ages. Democritus was among the first to observe that a cone or pyramid has one-third the volume of a cylinder or prism respectively with the same base.

Democritus was also the first philosopher we know who realized that the celestial body we perceive as the Milky Way is formed from the light of distant stars. Other philosophers, including later Aristotle, argued against this. Democritus was among the first to propose that the universe contains many worlds, some of them inhabited:

"In some worlds there is no Sun and Moon, in others they are larger than in our world, and in others more numerous. In some parts there are more worlds, in others fewer (...); in some parts they are arising, in others failing. There are some worlds devoid of living creatures or plants or any moisture."

Democritus agreed that everything which is must be eternal, but denied that "the void" can be equated with nothing. This makes him the first thinker on record to argue for the existence of an entirely empty "void". In order to explain the change around us from basic, unchangeable substance he argued that there are various basic elements which always existed but can be rearranged into many different forms. He argued that atoms only had several properties, particularly size, shape, and (perhaps) weight; all other properties that we attribute to matter, such as color and taste, are but the result of complex interactions between the atoms in our bodies and the atoms of the matter that we are examining. Furthermore, he believed that the real properties of atoms determine the perceived properties of matter--for example, something that tastes sharp is made of small, pointy atoms, while something sweet is made of large, round atoms; the interactions of those atoms with the atoms of the tongue give the impression of taste. Some types of matter are particularly solid because their atoms have hooks to attach to each other; some are oily because they are made of very fine, small atoms which can easily slip past each other. In Democritus' own words, "By convention sweet, by convention bitter, by convention hot, by convention cold, by convention colour: but in reality atoms and void."

Aristotle tells us that this theory of matter, commonly called atomism, was a reaction to Parmenides, who denied the existence of motion, change, or the void. Parmenides argued that the existence of a thing implied that it could not have "come into being", because "nothing comes from nothing". Moreover, he argued, movement was impossible, because one must move into "the void" and (as he identified "the void" with "nothing") the void does not exist and cannot be "moved into".

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The following excerpts are from Democritus' extensive writings on ethics, of which little remain:

• "Disease occurs in a household, or in a life, just as it does in a body."
• "Medicine cures the diseases of the body; wisdom, on the other hand, relieves the soul of its sufferings."
• "The needy animal knows how much it needs, but the needy man does not."
• "It is hard to fight with desire; but to overcome it is the mark of a rational man."
• "Moderation increases enjoyment, and makes pleasure even greater."
• "It is childish, not manly, to have immoderate desires."
• "The good things of life are produced by learning with hard work; the bad are reaped of their own accord, without hard work."
• "The brave man is he who overcomes not only his enemies but his pleasures. There are some men who are masters of cities but slaves to women."
• "In cattle excellence is displayed in strength of body; but in men it lies in strength of character."
• "I would rather discover a single cause than become king of the Persians."
• "There is no poetry without madness."
• "Proclus states that Pythagoras and Epicurus agree with Cratylus, but Democritus and Aristotle agree with Hermogenes, the former that names arise by nature, the latter that they arise by chance. Pythagoras thought that the soul gave the names, deriving them like images of reality from the mind. But Democritus thought that the proof of their chance origin was fourfold: (1) the calling of different things by the same name; (2)having several names for the same thing; (3)change of name; (4)lack of name."
• "Medicine heals diseases of the body, wisdom frees the soul from passions."
• "Nature and instruction are similar; for instruction transforms the man."
• "If any man listens to my opinions, here recorded, with intelligence, he will achieve many things worthy of a good man, and avoid doing many unworthy things."
• "He who chooses the advantages of the soul chooses things more divine, but he who chooses those of the body, chooses things human."
• "It is noble to prevent the criminal; but if one cannot, one should not join him in crime.
• "One must either be good, or imitate a good man."
• "Men find happiness neither by means of the body nor through possessions, but through uprightness and wisdom."
• "Refrain from crimes not through fear but through duty."
• "It is a great thing, when one is in adversity, to think of duty."
• "Repentance for shameful deeds is salvation in life."
• "The wrongdoer is more unfortunate than the man wronged."
• "Magnanimity consists in enduring tactlessness with mildness."
• "Well-ordered behavior consists in obedience to the law, the ruler, and the man wiser than oneself."
• "When inferior men censure, the good man pays no heed."
• "It is hard to be governed by one’s inferior."
• "The man enslaved to wealth can never be honest."
• "In power of persuasion, reasoning is far stronger than gold."
• "He who tries to give intelligent advice to one who thinks he has intelligence, is wasting his time."
• "Many who have not learnt Reason, nevertheless live according to reason."
• "Many whose actions are most disgraceful practice the best utterances."
• "The foolish learn sense through misfortune."
• "One should emulate the deeds and actions of virtue, not the words."
• "Noble deeds are recognized and emulated by those of natural good disposition."
• "Good breeding in cattle depends on physical health, but in men on a well-formed character."
• "The hopes of right-thinking men are attainable, but those of the unintelligent are impossible."
• "Neither skill nor wisdom is attainable unless one learns."
• "It is better to examine ones own faults than those of others."
• "Those whose character is well-ordered have also a well-ordered life."
• "Virtue consists, not in avoiding wrong-doing, but in having no wish thereto."
• "To pronounce praise on noble deeds is noble; for to do so over base deeds is the work of a false deceiver."
• "Many much-learned men have no intelligence." (Also attributed to Heraclitus)
• "One should practice much sense, not much learning."
• "It is better to deliberate before action than to repent afterwards."
• "Believe not everything, but only what is approved: the former is foolish, the latter the act of a sensible man."
• "The worthy and the unworthy man are to be known not only by their actions, but also their wishes."
• "For all men, good and true are the same; but pleasant differs for different men."
• "Immoderate desire is the mark of a child, not a man."
• "Untimely pleasures produce unpleasantness. "
• "Violent desire for one thing blinds the soul to all others."
• "Virtuous love consists in decorous desire for the beautiful."
• "Accept no pleasure unless it is beneficial."
• "It is better for fools to be ruled than to rule."
• "For the foolish, not reason but advantage is the teacher."
• "Fame and wealth without intelligence are dangerous possessions."
• "To make money is not without use, but if it comes from wrong-doing, nothing is worse."
• "It is a bad thing to imitate the bad, and not even to wish to imitate the good."
• "It is shameful to be so busy over the affairs of others that one knows nothing of ones own."
• "Constant delay means work undone."
• "The false and the seemingly good are those who do all in word, not in fact."
• "The cause of error is ignorance of the better."
• "The man who does shameful deeds must first feel shame in his own eyes."
• "He who contradicts and chatters much is ill-fitted for learning what he ought."
• "It is greed to do all the talking and not be willing to listen."
• "One must be on ones guard against the bad man, lest he seize his opportunity."
• "The envious man torments himself like an enemy."
• "An enemy is not he who injures, but he who wishes to do so."
• "The enmity of relatives is much worse than that of strangers."
• "Be not suspicious towards all, but be cautious and firm."
• "Accept favors in the foreknowledge that you will have to give a greater return for them."
• "When you do a favor study the recipient first, lest he prove to be a scoundrel and repay evil for good."
• "Small favors at the right time are greatest to the recipients."
• "Marks of honor at the right time are greatly valued by right-thinking men, who understand why they are being honored."
• "The generous man is he who does not look for a return, but who does good from choice."
• "Many who seem friendly are not so, and those who do not seem so, are."
• "The friendship of one intelligent man is better than that of all the unintelligent."
• "Life is not worth living for the man who has not even one good friend."
• "The man whose tested friends do not stay long with him is bad-tempered."
• "A life without festivity is a long road without an inn."
• "Water can be both good and bad, of use and dangerous. To the danger, however, a remedy has been found: learning to swim."

• Melchert, Norman (2002). The Great Conversation: A Historical Introduction to Philosophy. McGraw Hill. ISBN 0-19-517510-7.
• Ancilla To The Pre-Socratic Philosophers, translated by Kathleen Freeman.

• O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "Democritus", MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, University of St Andrews
• Democritus article in The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
• Leucippus and Democritus
• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry
• Democritus on the Greek 100 Drachma banknote.