Democritus
<p ><b>Democritus</b> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English" title="Help:IPA for English" >/</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >d</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >ɪ</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >ˈ</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >m</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >ɒ</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >k</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >r</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >ɪ</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >t</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >ə</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >s</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English" title="Help:IPA for English" >/</a>; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_language" title="Greek language" >Greek</a>: Δημόκριτος <i>Dēmókritos</i>, meaning "chosen of the people"; c. 460 – c. 370 BC) was an influential <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greece" title="Ancient Greece" >Ancient Greek</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Socratic_philosophy" title="Pre-Socratic philosophy" >pre-Socratic philosopher</a> primarily remembered today for his formulation of an<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_theory" title="Atomic theory" >atomic theory</a> of the universe.<sup id="cite_ref-Barnes87_4-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democritus#cite_note-Barnes87-4" >[3]</a></sup>
Democritus was born in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdera,_Thrace" title="Abdera, Thrace" >Abdera</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrace" title="Thrace" >Thrace</a><sup id="cite_ref-Russell64_5-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democritus#cite_note-Russell64-5" >[4]</a></sup> around 460 BC. His exact contributions are difficult to disentangle from those of his mentor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucippus" title="Leucippus" >Leucippus</a>, as they are often mentioned together in texts. Their speculation on atoms, taken from Leucippus, bears a passing and partial resemblance to the nineteenth-century understanding of atomic structure that has led some to regard Democritus as more of a scientist than other Greek philosophers; however, their ideas rested on very different bases.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democritus#cite_note-6" >[5]</a></sup> Largely ignored in ancient <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athens" title="Athens" >Athens</a>, Democritus was nevertheless well known to his fellow northern-born <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy" title="Philosophy" >philosopher</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotle" title="Aristotle" >Aristotle</a>. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato" title="Plato" >Plato</a> is said to have disliked him so much that he wished all his books burned.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democritus#cite_note-7" >[6]</a></sup> Many consider Democritus to be the "father of modern science".<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democritus#cite_note-8" >[7]</a></sup>
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