Democritus

heavenly bodies to be bowls of fire. In the event of an eclipse, Heraclitus claimed the bowl had turned away from the earth. Secondly, very few philosophers explain the foundations of the universe with atomic theory, despite it being partly correct. Democritus (460 BC) and his teacher Leucippus (500 BC) devised atomic theory and they explained that atoms are indestructible, eternal and in constant motion. They form in different shapes and positions. Most importantly, atoms form everything, the…

Before talking about the elements, the atom must be discussed first. Atoms are the building blocks of everything—from the structures of a building to a household pet. The idea of the atom was first suggested by Democritus, a Greek philosopher born in 460 BC. Democritus hypothesized “that atoms were indivisible and infinite in size and shape as well as firm and completely solid” and that they “existed in a void moving about combining and recombining” (European Graduate School). Later on, a…

thousand years. The first record of rabies dates back to 2300 B.C. in the Babylonian city of Eshnunna when dog owners were forced to pay a fine for causing the deaths of other people. Since then, many notable writers and philosophers such as Homer, Democritus, and Aristotle have also recorded rabies, mostly through cases of canine rabies (or rabies received through a rabid dog). During the 16th century, Girolamo Fracastoro, an Italian physicist, discovered that rabies was a fatal disease and…

Plato and Aristotle both have prominent writings about the philosophy of music. Homer recommended music to counter mental distress, and Asclepiades of Bithynia is said to have recommended music for backache and other physical discomforts. It is said Democritus prescribed various melodies, and Pythagoras is said to have clinically used music for anxiety. Roman physician Galen, who was greatly respected during his time and modern times as well, used music in his healing repertoire. Among other…

Since as early as 500 B.C. philosophers have been concerned with the examining the composition of the universe. The early Greek philosopher, Thales, argued that the world was made up of one universal thing; water. It wasn’t until Democritus and the Atomist until philosophers began to rationalize about small particles called atoms as the things that make up the universe. As time approached the 18th century, advances in the scientific method gave rise to developing processes to examine the…

during his time. He was an ancient Greek philosopher who lived from 341 BC to 270 BC. Epicurus died from kidney stones. He grew up in an Athenian colony called Samos which is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. Epicurus studied under followers of Democritus and Plato. He is also…

The fate chapter presents readers with three questions. The first question is, “Do you believe in fate?” Sophie knows that a majority of people believe in fate, but the philosopher Democritus does not believe in fate. He is a materialist, and Sophie is not sure how she feels at this point. The next question is, “Is sickness the punishment of the gods?” Sophie recollects about how people pray for better health; some people must believe…

shame that Elisabeth didn’t have her writings published, so we could have possibly had a better chance to study them (not that we actually would have, but it would’ve been nice). In school students hear about the discussion between Aristotle and Democritus on what the smallest form of matter is. This type of respect and debate is what continually goes on between Elisabeth and Descartes. This type of discourse is what moves humanity along, and for a woman to be involved in that is a huge deal.…

Within a little over two millenniums, the history of the atomic theory changed multiple times. In the very beginning, Democritus was the very first to propose the existence of the particle (H). The name he would give this particle was atomos. Aristotle believed that each element of the earth; water, air, fire, and earth, would gradually become small every time they were halved. This view held up for about 2,000 years. The next major change within the scientific field that concerned atoms was…

2.5 – Nuclear Physics What was initially known about the model of the atom before Thomson and Rutherford conducted their experiments? The first model of the atom is thought to have come from two Greek philosophers - Democritus and Leucippus – in the fifth century BC. These two philosophers believed that everything was made up of matter, and that you could half a given portion of matter (and keep halving the product) and eventually be left with something that couldn’t be halved again: the atom.…