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Essay Archive - Atomism: Democritus and Epicurus
Atomism: Democritus and Epicurus
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 ....
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