aristotle and democritus: the atomic theory

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Aristotle and Democritus:The Atomic Theory

By: Sam Berman and Emilee Williams

Born: 384 B.C. in Stagira, Greece Death: 322 B.C.

Aristotle

Born: 460 B.C. in Greece Death: 370 B.C.

Democritus

Aristotle

• Taught by Plato in Greece

• Tutored Alexander the Great in Macedonia

• Taught and created some of his most famous works at Lyceum

Democritus

• Studied in Persia, Ethiopia, Egypt and India

Institutions and Countries of Study

Aristotle

• Democritus and Plato were his rivals

• Xenocrates and Theophrastus were his colleges

Democritus

• Aristotle, Theophrastus and Diogenes were his rivals

• Worked with Leucippus

Colleagues and Rivals

Aristotle

• Orginon

• Metaphisics

• Nicomacheanfx

• Poetics

• Rheotorics

Democritus

• Great World System

• Little World System

• Theory of Knowledge

Important Works

Syllogism was a categorical logic (form of logic that involves identifying rules of which categories of things can be put together to produce valid deductions.)

Syllogism is a pattern, which helped him discover rules by combining and transforming them.

Example: Whales are mammals Mammals are warm blooded Therefore whales are warm blooded

Aristotle: Syllogism

Thought and sensation are influenced by images impacting the outside of the body.

Thought and perception are created through the change of the body.

Knowledge is based on the visible world

Democritus: Theory of Knowledge

The scientific theory of nature of matter

States that everything is made up of atoms

Atom means invisible

Atomic Theory

Democritus thought atoms are small quantities of matter

His theory states atoms cannot be destroyed, differ in shape, size or temperature.

He thought atoms moved in an infinite void, colliding into each other

Democritus: Atomic Theory

Aristotle did not believe in Democritus’ theory

He thought all materials on earth were not made of atoms

Aristotle thought all materials were made of small amounts of the four elements of matter (earth, fire, water and air)

His theory was later proved wrong, all matter is made up of atoms

Aristotle: Atomic Theory

http://www.nobeliefs.com/atom.htmhttp://plato

.stanford.edu/entries/democritus/ http://

people.wku.edu/jan.garrett/democ.htm http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle

/

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