Leucippus facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Leucippus
Leucippus by Luca Giordano (1652)
Born	Early 5th century BCE
Era	Pre-Socratic philosophy
School	Atomism
Notable students	Democritus
Main interests	Physics
Notable ideas	Atomic theory

Leucippus was an ancient Greek thinker, or philosopher, who lived around the 5th century BCE. He is famous for being one of the first people to suggest the idea of atomism. This is the idea that everything in the world is made of tiny, invisible pieces called atoms.

Leucippus's ideas were very important. However, his student, Democritus, became much more famous. Because of this, it's sometimes hard to know exactly which ideas came from Leucippus and which came from Democritus. We don't know many details about Leucippus's life. Some people even wondered if he truly existed, but most historians today agree that he did.

Who Was Leucippus?

We don't have exact dates for when Leucippus was born or died. He is often talked about together with his student, Democritus.

Historians believe Leucippus might have been born in a few different places. These include Miletus, Abdera, or Elea. Some records suggest that around 440 or 430 BCE, Leucippus started a school in Abdera. His famous student, Democritus, was closely connected to this school.

Leucippus's Big Ideas

Leucippus is best known for his theory of atomism. This idea explains that the universe is made of only two things:

• Atoms: These are tiny, solid, and unbreakable pieces. They are too small to see. Leucippus believed that everything we see and touch is made up of different combinations of these atoms.
• Void: This is simply empty space. Atoms move around in this void.

It can be tricky to tell which parts of atomism came from Leucippus and which came from Democritus. But ancient thinkers like Aristotle and Theophrastus clearly said that Leucippus was the one who first came up with atomism.

Leucippus thought that because things move, there must be empty space for them to move into. He called this empty space the "void." He believed that even though the void was "nothing," it still had to exist for movement to happen.

What Leucippus Wrote

Leucippus wrote some books, but sadly, none of them have survived completely. One book was called The Great World System. People often thought his student Democritus wrote it, but Theophrastus said Leucippus was the author. We only have one short sentence left from another book called On Mind.

Leucippus's Lasting Impact

For a long time, there was a debate about whether Leucippus really existed. A philosopher named Epicurus, who followed Democritus's ideas, once said that Leucippus never existed. This caused a big argument among scholars in the late 1800s.

However, most historians of philosophy today believe that Leucippus was a real person. Aristotle, who lived closer in time to Leucippus than Epicurus did, gave Leucippus credit for creating the system of atomism. This makes it much more likely that Leucippus was a real philosopher.

A scholar named Hermann Diels collected all the old writings and reports about Leucippus. He strongly believed that Leucippus was a historical figure. His work helped prove that Leucippus truly existed and was important.

See also

• Indeterminism
• Kanada

In Spanish: Leucipo de Mileto para niños