Leucippus

Leucippus (Greek Λεύκιππος Leucippus; * in the 5th century BC in Elea, Miletus or Abdera in Thrace ) was an ancient Greek philosopher. He is counted among the pre-Socratics.

Life and Teaching

Leucippus is considered as disciple of Parmenides and together with his pupil Democritus as the founder of atomism.

After atomistic conception and in deviation from the teachings parmenidischen the world consists of empty space and matter. This is necessary for thought, as the matter could never move without the empty space. By reordering the smallest particles or atoms " atomoi " ( the smallest indivisible ) created change. All material is thus composed of infinitely many components, the atoms together by their rearrangements and decay can be explained.

The law of causality Leucippus is: " No thing is created haphazardly, but from sense and necessity. " This teaching was continued by Democritus and worked to materialism. However, today is no longer traceable, has taken over what part of the doctrine of Democritus by his teacher as text only fragments survive.

Leucippus is considered the author of The Great World System and over the mind. Some researchers claim that Leucippus had never existed, but Democritus have used this name as a pseudonym. This does not reflect the current state of research.

Text editions and translations

• Laura Gemelli Marciano (eds. ): The pre-Socratic philosophers. Volume 3, Artemis & Winkler, Mannheim 2010, ISBN 978-3-538-03502-7, pp. 300-583 ( Greek source texts with German translation, notes and introduction to the life and work )
• Fritz Jürß, Reimar Müller, Ernst Günther Schmidt ( ed.): Greek atomists. Texts and commentaries on the materialistic thinking of the ancient world. Reclam, Leipzig 1973