PHILOSOPHER

Democritus

460 BC - 360 BC

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Democritus (, dim-OCK-rit-əs; Greek: Δημόκριτος, Dēmókritos, meaning "chosen of the people"; c. 460 – c. 370 BC) was an Ancient Greek pre-Socratic philosopher from Abdera, primarily remembered today for his formulation of an atomic theory of the universe. Democritus wrote extensively on a wide variety of topics. None of Democritus' original work has survived, except through second-hand references. Many of these references come from Aristotle, who viewed him as an important rival in the field of natural philosophy. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Democritus is the 26th most popular philosopher (down from 22nd in 2019), the 10th most popular biography from Greece (up from 11th in 2019) and the 5th most popular Greek Philosopher.

Democritus is most famous for his atomic theory.

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Among PHILOSOPHERS

Among philosophers, Democritus ranks 26 out of 1,267Before him are Diogenes, Erasmus, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, John Locke, Arthur Schopenhauer, and Montesquieu. After him are Seneca the Younger, Epicurus, Averroes, Al-Ghazali, Thomas Hobbes, and Friedrich Engels.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 460 BC, Democritus ranks 2Before him is Hippocrates. After him are Thucydides, Diogenes of Apollonia, Critias, Prodicus, and Verginia. Among people deceased in 360 BC, Democritus ranks 1After him are Agesilaus II, Atropates, Agnodice, Artabazos II, Lais of Corinth, Dinocrates, Aeschines of Sphettus, Campaspe, Polykleitos the Younger, Silanion, and Palaephatus.

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In Greece

Among people born in Greece, Democritus ranks 10 out of 1,024Before him are Homer (-800), Socrates (-470), Pythagoras (-570), Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881), Hippocrates (-460), and Sophocles (-497). After him are Epicurus (-341), Solon (-638), Pericles (-494), Aristophanes (-448), El Greco (1541), and Euripides (-480).

Among PHILOSOPHERS In Greece

Among philosophers born in Greece, Democritus ranks 5Before him are Aristotle (-384), Plato (-427), Socrates (-470), and Pythagoras (-570). After him are Epicurus (-341), Plutarch (46), Protagoras (-486), Gorgias (-483), Theophrastus (-371), Apollodorus of Athens (-180), and Antisthenes (-445).