Démokritosz

Démokritosz is the Hungarian spelling of Democritus, an ancient Greek philosopher. He is primarily known for developing the atomic theory of the universe. Democritus proposed that all matter is composed of tiny, indivisible particles called atoms, which move in a void. He believed that these atoms were infinite in number, eternal, and unchanging. Differences in objects, he argued, arose from the different shapes, arrangements, and positions of these atoms. He also suggested that the soul itself was made of atoms.

Born in Abdera, Thrace, around 460 BCE, Democritus was a prolific writer, though most of his works are lost. His philosophical inquiries extended beyond physics to ethics, epistemology, and cosmology. He was a student of Leucippus, to whom the initial development of atomism is sometimes attributed. Democritus's ideas, while revolutionary for their time, were not widely accepted by other Greek philosophers, most notably Aristotle, who favored a model of continuous matter.

Despite the lack of immediate acceptance, Democritus's atomic theory profoundly influenced later thinkers, including Epicurus and the Roman poet Lucretius. His concept of atoms as the fundamental building blocks of reality laid the groundwork for modern scientific understanding of matter. The name Democritus itself is thought to mean "chosen of the people" or "popularly chosen." His legacy endures as one of the most significant figures in pre-Socratic philosophy.