democritus

democritus

Democritus

Knowledge is one of the only things that have been passed on since ancient generations. This information evolves as time goes on. Theories arise often; some are kept and taken as a fact such as our understanding today of atoms. Most theories are changed and perfected as our technologies help understand phenomena that surround us. Democritus is an ancient philosopher that had his knowledge passed on right into our books, but even he had based his theories on his predecessors improving and perfecting their ideas. His influences go as far as Thales; who was one of the first to ask the question of what came first and what everything in our world is made of. Thales isn’t the only one Democritus has based his ideas on; there are actually a number of philosophers before his time that had inspired him. Heraclitus, Parmenides and Zeno are among them and we will try to determine what and in what way Democritus has taken their ideas in consideration.
Thales’ answer for the question of what came first was ‘water’. He proposed that everything on earth was at base made of water. Despite our bodies being more than 70% water, this is obviously a false statement, but the fact that he posed the question is what influenced many after him. He also proposed monism which is belief in a single higher entity, power or god as we may call it, unlike the Greek religions of his time. Thales’ definitions also went against every Greek tradition and godly authority but it seems that the people were slowly preparing to think rationally and doubt the culture’s traditions. Democritus did not accept Thales’ answer but he did take his question. Democritus’ atomism is a better answer than Thales’ simply because Thales’ can be so easily refuted. His answer did not explain how water can be the base of all things since water and fire destroy each other.
Heraclitus was a very obscure philosopher. He would write his ideas as paradoxes and almost riddles probably...