FratFiles

• Save Paper

Atomism: Democritus and Epicurus


Philosophy 116
October 17, 1996


In the Atomists, we see pluralism taken as far as it could possibly go.
We see Democritus and Epicurus divide all the world, as well as the universe,
into two categories; atoms and empty space. Everything else is merely thought
to exist. The atoms are eternal, infinite in size and number and they are
moving through the empty space. There is no motion without empty space. Both
Democritus and Epicurus agreed that motion was impossible in a plenum, but it is
here that their theories diverge. In the cause of the motion, we begin to see a
variety of opinions.

Both Democritus and Epicurus agreed that the "qualitative world of sense
perception arises from the motion of qualitatively neutral atoms. They believe
that the immense qualitative variety results from the ‘jostling' of atoms...as
they collide and bounce apart, and so, constantly form new groupings" (Jones 84).
They believe it to be a......

View the rest of this paper...

Approximate Word Count: 1266
Approximate Pages: 6 (250 words per double-spaced page)

Similar Essays

1. Atomism: Democritus And Epicurus
   

   Atomism: Democritus And Epicurus. Atomism: Democritus and Epicurus Philosophy
   116 October 17, 1996 In the Atomists, we see pluralism ...

2. The Atom
   

   ... Greek atomism, however, did introduce the valuable concept ... Democritus stated this
   especially clearly in one of ... later ancient thinkers as EPICURUS and LUCRETIUS ...

3. The School Of Athens
   

   ... Epicurus: (341-270BC) Greek philosopher who founded another school of philosophy
   in Athens. Adopted the atomism of Leucippus and Democritus maintaining that ...

4. Rene Descartes
   

   ... atomism, first proposed by Leucippus of Miletus (ca. 435 BC) and Democritus of Abdera
   (ca. 410 BC). Gassendi’s philosophies were more similar to Epicurus (341 ...