Democritus
-born in the city of Abdera in Thrace
-followed in the tradition of Leucippus
- attempted to explain the world without the presuppositions of purpose, prime mover, or final cause
-Democritus' father was so wealthy that he received Xerxes on his march through Abdera
-spent the inheritance which his father left him on travels into distant countries, to satisfy his thirst for knowledge
- Known as the "Laughing Philosopher"
Contributions
- Billiard ball model / Hard ball
- All matter that make up the world is composed of tiny invisible particles
- From the word greek "Atomos" or "Atom" which means "incut"
-The atom cannot be divided
Billiard ball preview
Aristotle
- born in Stageira, Chalcidice, in 384 BC, about 55 km (34 mi) east of modern-day Thessaloniki
- His father Nicomachus was the personal physician to King Amyntas of Macedon
- trained and educated as a member of the aristocracy
- invited by Philip II of Macedon to become the tutor to his son Alexander the Great in 343 BC
- appointed as the head of the royal academy of Macedon
- studied anatomy, astronomy, embryology, geography, geology, meteorology, physics and zoology
Contribution
- together with Plato had a more respected theory compared to Democritus, although this was ultimately wrong
- Believed in only 4 elements: Air, Fire, Water and Earth
- Used this approach to the nature of matter
Aristotle's atomic model
