Democritus of Abdera

Democritus of Abdera was an ancient Greek philosopher who lived around 460-370 BCE. He is best known for his early theory of atoms, proposing that everything in the universe is made up of tiny, indivisible particles called "atomos." He believed these atoms were the fundamental building blocks of matter and that they moved through empty space. His ideas laid the groundwork for the development of modern atomic theory, although they were not widely accepted in his time. Democritus emphasized reason and observation, contributing significantly to the fields of science and philosophy long before the scientific method was established.