Summary and brief explanation of the thought of Democritus, an ancient Greek philosopher, a pupil of Leucippus, among the founders of atomism.
emocritus , a Greek philosopher of the 5th century BC, is considered the founder of atomism, a theory according to which the universe is composed of indivisible particles called atoms. Together with his teacher Leucippus , he developed a materialist view of reality, arguing that everything that exists is the result of the movement and interaction of atoms in a void. His philosophy , which also included reflections on ethics and knowledge, profoundly influenced subsequent scientific and philosophical thought.
The real founder of atomism was Leucippus of Miletus , whose thought, however, in the absence of precise information, cannot be distinguished from that of his disciple Democritus.
He was born in Abdera around 460-459 BC and lived for more than a hundred years. We know little about his life which is lost in anecdotes and legends. It seems that during his life he gave up part of his possessions to devote himself to study and travel. He traveled much of the world; from Egypt to Ethiopia, to India, and even reached Athens, where however he did not receive great consideration, but it was where he came into contact with the sophistic-Socratic culture. It also seems that Democritus, in addition to having a 360° culture, was also completely absorbed in his thoughts, and particularly dedicated to his research.
Reality and appearance
The Eleatic distinction between reality and appearance is also found in Democritus’ atomism. According to him too, the philosopher must be able to go beyond sensible illusion to reach the authentic reality of things. For this reason, like Parmenides, Democritus separates sensible knowledge, called obscure, from rational knowledge, called genuine. However, he does not completely harden this division: while for the Eleatics reason and sensitivity remain eternally divided, for Democritus experience and reason, the senses and the intellect, are in a relationship of continuity with each other. Knowledge starts from the observation of things through the senses, passes through an elaboration of the “data” by reason, to then arrive at a theory that explains what the senses have shown us (scientific methodology… in reality it is not Democritus’ own since he did not yet recognize the principle of experimentation). In this way the senses become the vehicle of reason to reach the truth .
The atoms
The first thought of the atomists, the atom , derives from a reflection on the problem of infinite divisibility raised by Zeno. For the atomists, divisibility is valid only in the logical-mathematical field, but not in the real, physical one, since it is not possible to think of being able to divide matter infinitely, which, becoming smaller and smaller, would reach nothingness. But if at the bottom of nature there were nothingness, it would not be understood how, from such nothingness, one could reach the concrete and material reality of bodies (how can 0+0+0+0+0+0+0 give a number?). For this reason, according to Democritus, it is necessary to admit that there exist some ultimate constituents of matter, atoms, which in fact would no longer be divisible.
Matter would thus be made up of atoms , and its division would lead to a division between atoms .
Furthermore, in the atomists we find a physicalization of being and non-being , in that they are conceived respectively as full and empty, matter and the space of matter.
Democritus attributes to atoms the characteristics of Parmenidean being : fullness, immutability, in generation and eternity. There are no qualitative differences between them, but only quantitative ones (geometric shape and size). Birth and death occur through the union and separation of atoms, and diversity and change with the relationships of order and position (like the letters of the alphabet…various different letters give rise to different discourses). Furthermore, atoms are immersed in an empty space , deduced through rational means (if there is movement there is also emptiness).
As for the motion of atoms, there are various uncertainties. For a long time, it was thought that the motion of atoms was dictated by the fall of the heavier ones, which, falling, would hit the lighter ones, determining continuous interatomic collisions. This thought, however, should be considered not Democritus, but his disciple, Epicurus , who would later revolutionize atomism.
In Democritus and Leucippus the atomic attribute of weight is not found, and for them movement is proper to the atoms, which are in fact thought of as self-propelled (vision of dust in the air).
In Democritus we do not even find the problem of the cause of their movement , since for him it is a structural property of matter. This continuous motion gives rise to incessant contacts between atoms and continuous aggregations of matter, generating a real atomic vortex where the largest particles are at the center and the smallest ones swirl around on the outside. Therefore, since atoms are infinite, and their aggregation possibilities are infinite, Democritus believes that there are infinite worlds, which are perpetually born and die. It follows that even the universe , taken in its totality, is partially infinite.
Atomism and materialism
Atomism represents the first form of materialism in history , meaning by philosophical materialism the conception according to which matter (including the void) constitutes the only substance and the only cause of things. Furthermore, it is also eternal and can neither increase nor decrease as it would imply a creation from nothing and a dissolution into nothing, going against the Eleatic thought, taken up by the atomists, according to which nothing is born and nothing returns to nothing.
Connected to materialism is atheism, since according to Democritus there is no divine intelligence at the basis of the world. Furthermore, an integral part of atheism and materialism is mechanism, that is, the conception of a mechanistic method that consists in explaining things by virtue of the causes that produced them, independently of the concept of purpose expressed instead by the finalistic method , which is concerned with explaining things by virtue of the purposes it has in reality.
The atomists are the first to want to interpret nature with nature itself, and their method is an example of causality, that is, the theory according to which everything that happens in the universe presupposes a precise system of causes and effects.
Consistent with his view of the universe, Democritus applies the materialistic model to man as well . He maintains that the soul is material, formed by psychic atoms. It is diffused throughout the body and is subject to sensations. These are produced by emanations of atoms from other bodies that come into contact with those of the soul. Thus sensation does not derive from a direct contact between the soul and the body and therefore it cannot proceed beyond sensible appearances and only the intellect can perceive the atoms and their movement which are the reality of things.
Democritus also argues that not all the properties we attribute to things are really such, since some characterize objects (such as shape, number, movement), others exist only in relation to our senses (smell, taste). Such properties are subjective, since they are related to our senses.
The moral of Democritus
Democritus’ morality has a high tone and is expressed in profound sentences worthy of those of Socrates . The ancients thought that a materialism in metaphysics should correspond to a hedonism in morality (the search for happiness through the senses), and thus they considered Democritus’ ethics as something external to reality. In reality, it is firmly linked to his rationalistic mentality and is a form of moral rationalism, which elects reason as judge and guide of existence. Furthermore, for Democritus the highest good is happiness, which is not achieved with material goods, but with justice and reason.
The most important aspect of this ethic consists in the attempt to base morality on the individual rather than on society. For Democritus, the individual must claim his own autonomous criticism of society, proclaiming reason as the sole guide of his behavior. However, this should not be considered only a manifestation of individualism since, in addition to opening new paths for morality, this nonconformist character also expresses a tenacious defense of the values of knowledge that materialize in an explicit separation from a world based on the values of the body, power, etc.
Civilization, language and religion
In atomism we also find some reflections on civilization, language and religion, which manifest on the one hand a possible sophistic influence, and on the other a Democritus rootedness in the horizon of the culture of his time. Democritus tries to go beyond the myth to explain the birth of civilization.
Primitive men once lived a life similar to that of animals, overwhelmed by nature and not subject to any law. Later, for utility and fear, they gathered in groups giving birth to civilization and developing a language to be able to communicate.
Religion was born then to explain those natural manifestations that so frightened primitive man.
