Extractions: The Ten Stars of Earliest Greek Thought "Every philosopher paints his universe and each thing in it with fewer colors than actually exist and he is blind to certain colors." (Nietzsche: The Dawn) The first Greek philosophers understood the world as they saw it, felt it, as it appeared to them. The world has never ceased to be what it indeed has always been. Intemporal things manifest hic et nunc , or, to use the terminology of Hegel, the Universal in Itself is also the present of the concrete world. To capture being, then, it suffices to allow the will to join itself to its exteriority and to let representation embrace multiplicity, so that the synthetic figure is born that gives rise to the manner by which reality is organized in the light of consciousness that reflects it. The Presocratics synthesized the first stances of the mind coming face to face with reality, and they incarnate the archetypal tendencies of consciousness. "In fact, they invented the principal types of philosophical spirit to which posterity has added nothing essential at all."
Archive SETI Daily Quote, From Democritus democritus of abdera, circa 460 to circa 370 BCE. Relevant Web sites.http//www.perseus.tufts.edu/GreekScience/Students/Marc/DemocritusF.9.html http://seti.sentry.net/archive/public/1998/12-98/00000136.htm
Peter Fosl's Philosophical Chronology Eurytus of Croton (mid 5th century BCE) Thrasymachus (fl. late 5th century BCE)Meh Tih (? 390 BCE) democritus of abdera (c 460/70 - c 370/61 BCE) http://homepages.transy.edu/~philosophy/chronology.html
Extractions: s s Big Bang postulated (15-16 billion years ago) Formation of the Earth (c 4,500,000,000 years ago) Precambrian Age (4,000,000,000 - 540,000,000 y.a., origin of life [Archeaozoic era] thought to be 4 billion y.a.) Earliest known life in fossil record (c 3,500,000,000 y.a.) Paleozoic Age (540,000,000 - 200,000,000 y.a.) (insects, chondrichthyes, amphibians, reptiles, plants except angiospermae) Mesozoic Age (200,000,000 - 60, 000,000 y.a.) (bony fish, birds, mammals, angiospermae) Dinosaurs become extinct (c 65,000,000 y.a.) Cenozoic Age begins (60,000,000 y.a.) Australopithecus (2,600,000 y.a.) Pleistocene Era (2,000,000 - 10,000 y.a., development of hominids) Appearance of homo sapiens (c 200,000 BCE) Earliest known artwork (c 29,000 BCE) (Willendorf Venus; painted blocks of La Ferrassie)
Early Ideas About Matter Aristotle Democritus Aristotle Democritus We begin with democritus of abdera, who was born in Thrace in ancient Greece,and who lived from about 470BC to 380BC. Democritus held that all matter http://www.ph.surrey.ac.uk/partphys/chapter1/EarlyHistory.html
Extractions: Early Ideas about Matter Aristotle Democritus Ancient Greek philosophers were among the first to speculate about the nature of matter and many of them formed schools where fundamental questions of nature and morality were debated. We begin with Democritus of Abdera, who was born in Thrace in ancient Greece, and who lived from about 470BC to 380BC. Democritus held that all matter consisted of tiny particles that were so small that they could not be broken down into any smaller pieces. He coined the word `atamos' which literally means invisible. In Democritus's view, these `atoms' were physically different from each other so that "atoms of water" were smooth because water flowed and had no discernible shape. `Atoms of fire' were `thorny' which is why the fire gave you painful burns. 'Atoms of earth` were rough and jagged so that they stuck together to form hard materials. Another influential idea was that of Empedocles (430-390BC). He combined the ideas of Thales (640-540BC) who thought that the basic element of matter was water, Anaximenes (611-546BC) who thought it was air, and Heraclitus (540-475BC) who thought it was fire. To this Empedocles added one of his own: Earth. Thus was born the notion of all matter being made out of differing amounts of fire, air, earth and water Aristotle (384-322BC) who founded the famous school of philosophy in Athens called Lyceum, perpetuated Empedocles' view of matter right through to medieval times. Aristotle's lectures on nature were collected into many volumes in which he entirely rejected Democritus's idea of the atom. The Aristotelian world view dominated until the scientific revolution in the 16th and 17th centuries where Democritus's ideas of the atom were brought back.
WSU | Ask Dr. Universe | The BIG Questions Way back around 430 BC, democritus of abdera named the building blocks ofmatter atomos. In Greek, which is what Democritus was, this means indivisible, http://www.wsu.edu/DrUniverse/atoms.html
Extractions: Democritus thought atoms were solid and hard and indestructible and that they could not be compressed or squeezed. He was pretty close. Even though he was wrong in the details, Democritus's ideas made a lot of senseespecially considering the only instruments Democritus and his friends had to work with were their brains. But there IS a big difference between how Democritus pictured an atom and how scientists today picture an atom.
Great Theosophists--Alchemy And The Alchemists (14 Of 29) His atomic theory was elaborated by Leucippus and his pupil democritus of abdera,who taught that the atoms in space are actuated by ceaseless motion which http://www.wisdomworld.org/setting/alchemy.html
Extractions: (Number 14 of a 29-part series) GREAT THEOSOPHISTS A LCHEMY AND THE A LCHEMISTS THE word Alchemy is a combination of Al and Chemi Al, like the Hebrew El, meaning the Mighty Sun, Chemi meaning Fire. As Khem was the name of ancient Egypt, it is commonly supposed that the science of Alchemy originated in the land of the Pharaohs. But actually it was born on the old continent of Atlantis. Egypt was merely the land of its rebirth. Alchemy is said to have been introduced into Egypt by Hermes Trismegistus. Who was the "Thrice-Great"? The name Hermes, like so many other famous names of history, was a generic one common to a long line of Initiates. Thoth- Hermes was one of the King-Instructors, the "Sons of the Fire" who incarnated in the Third Race to instruct infant humanity in the arts and sciences. The Egyptians always regarded Thoth-Hermes as a symbol of the Third Race. But in whichever of his characters Hermes appears, he is always credited as the first to teach the science of magic to the Egyptians. Since "Hermes" implies a Fraternity of Initiates rather than a single individual, the
The Pre-Socratic Philosophers: Resources democritus of abdera (c.460370 BC) The Atomism of Democritus (Jan Garrett)Democritus entry (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy) http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/pre-socratic.html
Extractions: The Pre-Socratic Philosophers: Resources "Pre-Socratic" is the expression commonly used to describe those Greek thinkers who lived and wrote between 600 and 400 B.C. It was the Pre-Socratics who attempted to find universal principles which would explain the natural world from its origins to man's place in it. Although Socrates died in 399 B.C., the term "Pre-Socratic" indicates not so much a chronological limit, but rather an outlook or range of interests, an outlook attacked by both Protagoras (a Sophist) and Socrates, because natural philosophy was worthless when compared with the search for the "good life." To give the Pre-Socratic thinkers their full due would require an article of encyclopedic scope. Given that, I have decided to list a number of sites on individual Pre-Socratic thinkers. Anaxagoras of Clazomenae (500-428 B.C.)
Extractions: Credit cannot be given to the tale that Democritus spent his leisure hours in chemical researches after the philosopher's stone the dream of a later age; or to the story of his conversation with Hippocrates concerning Democritus's supposed madness, as based on spurious letters. Democritus has been commonly known as "The Laughing Philosopher," and it is gravely related by Seneca that he never appeared in public with out expressing his contempt of human follies while laughing. Accordingly, we find that among his fellow-citizens he had the name of "the mocker". He died at more than a hundred years of age. It is said that from then on he spent his days and nights in caverns and sepulchers, and that, in order to master his intellectual faculties, he blinded himself with burning glass. This story, however, is discredited by the writers who mention it insofar as they say he wrote books and dissected animals, neither of which could be done well without eyes. Democritus expanded the atomic theory of Leucippus. He maintained the impossibility of dividing things ad infinitum . From the difficulty of assigning a beginning of time, he argued the eternity of existing nature, of void space, and of motion. He supposed the atoms, which are originally similar, to be impenetrable and have a density proportionate to their volume. All motions are the result of active and passive affection. He drew a distinction between primary motion and its secondary effects, that is, impulse and reaction. This is the basis of the law of necessity, by which all things in nature are ruled. The worlds which we see with all their properties of immensity, resemblance, and dissimilitude result from the endless multiplicity of falling atoms. The human soul consists of globular atoms of fire, which impart movement to the body. Maintaining his atomic theory throughout, Democritus introduced the hypothesis of images or idols (
Democritus [Internet Encyclopedia Of Philosophy] democritus was born at abdera, about 460 BCE, although according to some 490 . After several years of traveling, democritus returned to abdera, http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/d/democrit.htm
Extractions: Credit cannot be given to the tale that Democritus spent his leisure hours in chemical researches after the philosopher's stone the dream of a later age; or to the story of his conversation with Hippocrates concerning Democritus's supposed madness, as based on spurious letters. Democritus has been commonly known as "The Laughing Philosopher," and it is gravely related by Seneca that he never appeared in public with out expressing his contempt of human follies while laughing. Accordingly, we find that among his fellow-citizens he had the name of "the mocker". He died at more than a hundred years of age. It is said that from then on he spent his days and nights in caverns and sepulchers, and that, in order to master his intellectual faculties, he blinded himself with burning glass. This story, however, is discredited by the writers who mention it insofar as they say he wrote books and dissected animals, neither of which could be done well without eyes. Democritus expanded the atomic theory of Leucippus. He maintained the impossibility of dividing things ad infinitum . From the difficulty of assigning a beginning of time, he argued the eternity of existing nature, of void space, and of motion. He supposed the atoms, which are originally similar, to be impenetrable and have a density proportionate to their volume. All motions are the result of active and passive affection. He drew a distinction between primary motion and its secondary effects, that is, impulse and reaction. This is the basis of the law of necessity, by which all things in nature are ruled. The worlds which we see with all their properties of immensity, resemblance, and dissimilitude result from the endless multiplicity of falling atoms. The human soul consists of globular atoms of fire, which impart movement to the body. Maintaining his atomic theory throughout, Democritus introduced the hypothesis of images or idols (
Extractions: Anaxarchus was a philosopher of Abdera, from the school of Democritus, who flourished about the 110th Olympiad. He is remembered for having lived with Alexander and enjoyed his confidence. When Alexander was torn with regret for having killed his faithful Clitus, Anaxarchus said, "kings, like the gods, could do no wrong." Anaxarchus was addicted to pleasure. It was because of this (and not because of the apathy and tranquillity of his life) that he obtained the surname of "the Fortunate." Cicero relates a story that Anaxarchus was pounded to death in an iron mortar by Nicocreon, king of Cyprus, in revenge for the advice which he gave to Alexander, to serve up the head of that prince at an entertainment. The author of this article is anonymous. The IEP is actively seeking an author who will write a replacement article.
The Life Of Democritus democritus (or Democrit) (µt ? ?ßd?t)( 472/457 BC abdera (some sayMiletus) 370/360 BC) was a son of either Hegesistratos (?st?at), http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/DemocritLife.htm
Extractions: He obtained an amount of 100 Talents () after his fathers death, something which is equivalent to a few million dollars today. Now he was able to travel around and learn. I went to Athens, and no one knew me gymnosophistes (Diogenes Laertios, with Suida and Aristotle the main source about the life and work of Democritus) He had good relations with the Persian King Xerxes who visited his house during the second Greek-Persian war. Democritus considered himself like a Pentathlet who is not a master in any specific game but that what counts is the total number of points. Democritus was also a mathematician. He discovered, as Archimedes has written, that: He (Democritus) seems to have thought about everything, and in a clear, methodological manner
Abdera -- Encyclopædia Britannica The philosophers Protagoras and democritus were citizens of abdera. The site isoccupied by the modern town of Ávdhira, Greece. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9003281
Extractions: Home Browse Newsletters Store ... Subscribe Already a member? Log in Content Related to this Topic This Article's Table of Contents Abdera Print this Table of Contents Shopping Price: USD $1495 Revised, updated, and still unrivaled. The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary (Hardcover) Price: USD $15.95 The Scrabble player's bible on sale! Save 30%. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary Price: USD $19.95 Save big on America's best-selling dictionary. Discounted 38%! More Britannica products Abdera Abdera... (75 of 100 words) var mm = [["Jan.","January"],["Feb.","February"],["Mar.","March"],["Apr.","April"],["May","May"],["June","June"],["July","July"],["Aug.","August"],["Sept.","September"],["Oct.","October"],["Nov.","November"],["Dec.","December"]]; To cite this page: MLA style: "Abdera." http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9003281
ANCIENT ATOMISTS democritus from abdera. To get the most exact understanding and become acquaintedwith the democritus from abdera democritus from abdera (460? 370? http://library.thinkquest.org/13394/angielsk/ancient.html
Extractions: To get the most exact understanding and become acquainted with the development of thoughts in atomistics one should go back in time for over two thousand years and come to know attainments of ancient Greek philosophers. They were the first to research the world of microstructure. The researches were in considerable range ( but not always ) limited to solely logical considerations not supported by any experiments or discerning observations of nature. That caused many contradictions and often divergences between theory and practice. Thales from Miletus ( 620?- 540? B. C. ) was one of the first Greek thinkers, who started to considerate world's microstructure. He described the electrical influence of amber electrified by rubbing. He recognised water as basic substance occurring in nature. He thought that water was an original and final element and all the other substances came out of it. Life descended from water which in turn was a source of all motion. It had features which let the nature develop. He maintained that force was united with matter. He was of the opinion that the basic characteristic of water was its ability to move. Anaximander from Miletus (611- 547 B. C. ), Thales's disciple, perceived the world as the composition of contrasts : dry and wet, hot and cold; and one couldn't come from the other. It would be a mistake to declare that any one of them is the basic element. But he believed in the subsistence of the basic substance -apeiron- great, infinite in time and space, undiverted and neutral immensity. [ Although as the basic substance apeiron had strange features it resembles something well known nowadays- vacuum ! ] According to Anaximander the apeiron filled the whole world and created all the other substances which later disappeared in it, and included oppositions which could separate. He maintained also that matter was combined with motion making a unit.
Democritus: Definition And Much More From Answers.com democritus (dimok rit?s) , c.460c.370 BC, Greek philosopher of abdera; pupil ofLeucippus. His theory of the nature of the physical world was the most http://www.answers.com/topic/democritus
Extractions: showHide_TellMeAbout2('false'); Business Entertainment Games Health ... More... On this page: Dictionary Encyclopedia WordNet Wikipedia Mentioned In Or search: - The Web - Images - News - Blogs - Shopping Democritus Dictionary De·moc·ri·tus dÄ-mÅk rÄ-tÉs , (Known as âthe Laughing Philosopher.â) 460?â370? B.C. Greek philosopher who developed one of the first atomist theories of the universe and espoused the doctrine that pleasure, along with self-control, is the goal of human life. Encyclopedia Democritus dÄmÅk rÄtÉs ) , c.460âc.370 B.C. Bibliography See A. T. Cole, Democritus and the Sources of Greek Anthropology WordNet Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words. The noun Democritus has one meaning: Meaning #1 Greek philosopher who developed an atomistic theory of matter (460-370 BC) Wikipedia @import url(http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/css/common.css); @import url(http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/css/gnwp.css); Democritus Bust of Democritus Democritus was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher (born at Abdera in Thrace around 460 BC ; died in 370 BC ). Democritus was a student of
Index Of Ancient Greek Philosophers - Scientists democritus (abdera, Thrace, 470380 BC). Greek philosopher. Expanded the conceptof atoms that was introduced by his teacher Leucippus and showed that atoms http://www.ics.forth.gr/~vsiris/ancient_greeks/presocratics.html
Extractions: Period marking the begining of science, as well as the development of literature, arts, politics, and philosophy. During these years, the city-states (polis in Greek) flourish. These include the Sparta and Athens. Within this period the Ionian school of natural philosophy was founded by Thales of Miletus . This is considered the first school for speculating about nature in a scientific way, hence signifies the birth of science. All philosophers - scientists up to Democritus are considered to be PreSocratics. Thales of Miletus (624-560 B.C.). Astronomer, mathematician and philosopher. Learned astronomy from the Babylonians. Founder of the Ionian school of natural philosophy. Predicted the solar eclipse on May 28, 585. Proved general geometric propositions on angles and triangles. Considered water to be the basis of all matter. He believed that the Earth floated in water. Used the laws of prospectives to calculate the height of the pyramids.
Democritus Van Abdera democritus (460 370 vC) is voornamelijk bekend vanwege zijn atoomtheorie Dankzij citaten weten we dat democritus wist dat de inhoud van een kegel één http://mediatheek.thinkquest.nl/~lla015/biografie/Democritus.html
The Atomistic Philosophy Of Leucippus And Democritus democritus about the indivisibility of the smallest of things. democritus.Leucippus and democritus abdera, 460 370 BC http://www.thebigview.com/greeks/democritus.html
Extractions: [Abdera, 460 - 370 BC] With the work of Leucippus and Democritus ancient Greek philosophy reaches its zenith when the initial question of Thales after the true nature of matter culminated 180 years later in the subtle concept of atoms, which bears an amazing resemblance to the twentieth century's view of chemistry. For this reason, Leucippus and Democritus have undoubtedly deserved the first price for the best guess in antiquity, as far as natural science is concerned. Unfortunately their contemporaries did not share their views with the same enthusiasm. Leucippus is a very shadowy figure; his exact dates are unknown, some even say he never existed, but it is likely that he was a contemporary of Empedocles (around 440 BC) and that he came either from Miletus or from Elea. Democritus, who was a disciple of Leucippus, is a more certain figure. He was born 460 BC in Abdera in the north of Greece and died at the age of 90 years, after leaving an expansive work elaborating his philosophy including the atomistic theory in great detail. Democritus has written approximately 70 books and hence overshadows his master by far. Unfortunately none of his writings remained intact, but a great deal of what he said has survived in Epicurus. The atomistic theory began as an endeavor to overcome the odd logical consequences of the Eleatic school. Leucippus and Democritus did not accept the Eleatic hypothesis that "everything is one" and that change and motion is an illusion. Parmenides had said the void is a fiction, because saying the void exists would mean to say there is something that is nothing, which he thought is a contradiction in itself, but he was deceived by thinking of "being" in the sense of "material being". Thinking of the void as real would have overthrown Parmenides' theory, because allowing the void to exist as "space bereft of body" (Aristotle) with adjoining plenums implies the opposite of classical monism.
Democritus democritus was born at abdera, Thrace, sometime around 458 BCE. He was describedas well traveled, probably visiting Babylon, Egypt, and Ethiopia, http://www.humanistictexts.org/democritus.htm
Extractions: Authors born between 500 and 400 B CE Greek Analects Euripides Gorgias Mo Tzu ... Socrates [ Democritus ] Thucydides Hippocrates Tamil Poets Click Up For A Summary Of Each Author Contents Introduction Happiness On Cheerfulness Self-Discipline ... Sources Introduction Democritus was born at Abdera, Thrace, sometime around 458 BCE. He was described as well traveled, probably visiting Babylon, Egypt, and Ethiopia, and perhaps India. He appears to have spent all of his time on scientific and philosophical studies, teaching, and writing some 60 works have been listed. Of his voluminous writings, only a few fragments of his ethical theory remain. But these fragments and the descriptions by other writers of his atomic theory put him among the foremost thinkers of his time. Aristoxenus wrote that Plato wanted to burn all the works of Democritus, but could not do so because the books were already in wide circulation. Failing this, he avoided any mention of Democritus in his own writings. Certainly, Socrates brand of argument might not have fared well against Democritus, who was described by Timon as "the guardian of discourse, a keen witted disputant". Democrituss theory of the atomic nature of the physical world, developed from that of Leucippus, is known only through the works of critics of the theory such as Aristotle and Theophrastus. It resolved the question of how a world evidently in a state of flux could nevertheless have an underlying nature that was eternal and unchanging. By positing infinitely small things that remained the same but formed different combinations with each other, Leucippus initially, and Democritus in greater detail, managed to answer the question in a way that has been subject to increasingly successful elaboration ever since. One can trace the physical theory of atoms through Epicurus, Lucretius, and Galileo to modern times.
Philosophy - Presocratics: Democritus democritus was born at abdera, about 460 BC, although according to some 490. After several years of traveling, democritus returned to abdera, http://www.archaeonia.com/philosophy/presocratics/democritus.htm
Extractions: DEMOCRITUS (460-370 B.C.) D emocritus was born at Abdera , about 460 B.C. , although according to some . His father was from a noble family and of great wealth, and contributed largely towards the entertainment of the army of Xerxes on his return to Asia. As a reward for this service the Persian monarch gave and other Abderites presents and left among them several Magi . Democritus, according to historian Diogenes Laertius , was instructed by these Magi in astronomy and theology. After the death of his father he travelled in search of wisdom, and devoted is inheritance to this purpose, amounting to one hundred talents. He is said to have visited Egypt Ethiopia Persia , and India . Whether, in the course of his travels, he visited Athens or studied under Anaxagoras is uncertain. 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 means of subsistence. His brother Damosis , however, took him in. According to the law of Abdera, whoever wasted his patrimony would be deprived of the rites of burial. Democritus, hoping to avoid this disgrace, gave public lectures. Petronius relates that he was acquainted with the virtues of herbs, plants, and stones, and that he spent his life in making
