The Atomists: Leucippus and Democritus: Fragments

by Leucippus, Democritus, C.C.W. Taylor (Translator)

It may not be too much to say that all the work Western philosophers have done over the past two thousand years was begun by the Pre-Socratics. The Phoenix Pre-Socratic series has been instrumental in recovering Pre-Socratic texts.

As with earlier works in this important series, this volume aims to make an important portion of Pre-Socratic writings accessible to all those interested in ancient philosophy and the first phase of European natural science. We now have, for the first time in English a translation of the bulk of texts concerning the atomists, with commentary.

The work contains a new presentation of the evidence for the thought of Leucippus and Democritus, based on the original sources. It includes a Greek text of the fragments, in a new selection, with facing English translation. The testimonia (all newly translated) are presented in a new selection, designed to clarify the structure of the atomists thought and to present their texts in their argumentative context as far as possible. The notes and commentary aim to reflect the complexity and diversity of their thought, with particular emphasis on their metaphysical foundations, psychology, epistemology and ethics. Sections on biology, astronomy and theology are also included. Complete indexes, concordances and bibliography are included.

Genres: Philosophy, Science, Classics, Nonfiction, Physics

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 441

Reviews

[C. Çevik · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Her şey zorunluluktan..." Atomcu felsefeyi böyle özetliyorum. Her şey düşeceği yere düşer, materyal olarak atom evrenin zorunlu oluşumuna katılarak varlığı meydana getirir. Atomcu felsefe sondan başa doğru giderek oluşu açıklar, buna göre var olan, başka türlü olması mümkün olmadığı için, o şekilde vardır.

[Mehmet]

Bazı şeyleri çok önceden, yalnızca düşünerek keşfetmiş olmaları büyük bir dehanın ürünü.

[Murat Dural · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sokrates öncesi filozoflardan, doğa düşünürlerinden ve ilginç şekilde "Atom"un isim babaları yaşadığına emin olunan Demokritos ve yaşayıp yaşamadığı belli olmayan, Demokritos'un hocası Leukippos'un diyalogları, yazıları ve onlar hakkındaki lehte, aleyhte görüşler. Diğer felsefecilerin Fragmanlar'ının tersine oldukça detaylı, zor anlaşılabilecek anekdotlar var. Bir noktada devam etmek için ciddi konsantrasyon harcadım.

[Illiterate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of the presocratics who take us from myth to natural philosophy, the atomists most resonate with modern science. Their ethical fragments are also fun.

[Alp Turgut · Rating 3 out of 5]

Democritus ve Leukippos ile ilgili tüm yazılı kaynakları barındırması sebebiyle alanında araştırma yapacaklara ışık tutacak değerli bir eser olan "Atomcu Felsefe Fragmanları", Sokrates öncesindeki atomcu felsefeye güzel bir bakış açısı sağlıyor. Zamanına rağmen oldukça yerinde argümanların bulunduğu eseri okurken zaman zaman gerçekten etkileniyorsunuz.

09.04.2021
Londra, Birleşik Krallık

Alp Turgut

[Dan Graser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful collection of the works from the atomists Leucippus and Democritus, though as you may suspect with thinkers from the 5th century BCE, the works are mostly fragments of mentions from other great thinkers and philosophers from later centuries. As such, you get used to the idea that frequently the ideas will be treated as a vital component to a hagiography or simplistic ramblings that are easily dispensed with. It's refreshing to see that even so vital a think as Aristotle could be guilty of the latter as many people think this reductionist disputation is a recent development.

Anyway, the editors of this text are to be commended in that they organize these fragments quite well, keeping this from seeming like an encyclopedia of every mention of atomism and making it a focused text on the reception and development of atomist thought on a myriad of topics. The extensive commentary to close this collection, which covers some 80 pages by itself, is worth the price of the book alone. This Phoenix collection of the works of the Presocratics seems to be in very good hands and this would make a great addition to collections of layman readers such as myself, or as a supplement to a course even tangentially related to this matter. Some favorite quotes to end this quick review:
"By convention sweet and by convention bitter, by convention hot, by convention cold, by convention colour; but in reality atoms and void."
"Education is an adornment in good fortune and a refuge in misfortune."
"One will seem to promote virtue better by using encouragement and persuasion of speech than law and necessity. For it is likely that he who is held back from wrongdoing by law will err in secret, but that he who is urged to what he should by persuasion will do nothing wrong either in secret or openly. Therefore he who acts rightly from understanding and knowledge proves to be at the same time courageous and right-minded."

[Plato · Rating 5 out of 5]

It actually fucking blows how much work was lost throughout time.

[Gokhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sokrates öncesi felsefe akımları ile birlikte ardıllarına bir çok konuda yol gösteren filozoflara ilgi duyanlar için kaynak eserlerden biri.

Ortaya konan felsefe bir yana, konusunda hiç bir literatür ve bulgu olmamasına rağmen, sadece gözlem ve muhakeme gücüyle bir insanın, fizik, kimya, gökbilimi, evrenbilimi ve daha nicelerine ilişkin, bazıları değillenebilir olsalar da, hayranlık bırakan düşüncelerine tanıklık etmek bile tek başına büyük bir keyif.

Dönemin M.Ö. 5. yy’lar olduğu göz önüne alındığında, felsefe tarihinde iz bırakan bu kişilerin sadece izlenimleriyle nasıl bir fikir sıçraması yaratabildiğini görmek, atomcu felsefeye hizmet etmese bile, en azından bugünün o tüm uydu ve iletişim araçlarıyla dünyayı cebinde taşıyan modern insanında kendine belki bir anlık eleştirel gözle bir bakış atma fırsatı da tanıyabilir.

[C. Quabela · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fine scholarly source of primary texts on the early atomists. Unlike many such compendiums there is a rather good explication of the fragments in the second half wherein the conflicts presented by the fragments are delved into.

[Michał Wojas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just not a fan of fragments or the price.