Democritus | Criticism

This literature criticism consists of approximately 44 pages of analysis & critique of Democritus.

Democritus | Criticism

This literature criticism consists of approximately 44 pages of analysis & critique of Democritus.
This section contains 12,720 words
(approx. 43 pages at 300 words per page)
Buy the Critical Essay by Michael Nill

SOURCE: “Democritus,” in Morality and Self-Interest in Protagoras, Antiphon and Democritus, E. J. Brill, 1985, pp. 75-91.

In the following excerpt, Nill examines Democritus's moral theory, particularly concerning pleasure and the ability of an individual to attain an ideal state.

Democritus (c. 460-396 b.c.) was a younger contemporary of Protagoras; both were born in Abdera.1 Although he had encyclopedic interests and was the author of many works, the 298 fragments ascribed to him in Diels-Kranz are at most all that has survived of his writings.2 Almost all of these fragments concern ethical matters. But despite this, Democritus has generally not been known for his moral theory. He has always, and rightly, been considered an important figure in the history of natural philosophy for his theory of atomism.

Commentators on the ethical fragments have often found them to be of little or no philosophical importance3 and have sometimes questioned their...

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This section contains 12,720 words
(approx. 43 pages at 300 words per page)
Buy the Critical Essay by Michael Nill
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Critical Essay by Michael Nill from Gale. ©2005-2006 Thomson Gale, a part of the Thomson Corporation. All rights reserved.