Atomic Pioneers ----- From Ancient Greece to the 19th Century

Chapter - 6 
Epicurus

Epicurus (ep-i-ku-rus) developed a consistent ethical based on atomism. He was born at Samos in 342 B.C. and died in Athens in 270 B.C. 

Biological Details 

Epicurus was the son of a noble Athenian family, but his parents had moved to the island of Samos, where he was born. After a precocious childhood, he went to Athens to study at the age of 14.

In his early manhood he roamed the Asiatic coast, and at 30 became an independent philosopher. He established his own school and ultimately returned to Athens with a popular following. His disciples called themselves Epicureans.

Epicurus was the first philosopher to allow women to study in his school. His popularity and success caused much jealousy and many attacks, but these only strengthened the devotion of his followers.

Scientific Achievements 

Epicurus led a reaction against the idealist philosopher of Plato and Aristotle. He returned to the materialistic ideas of the atomists. He taught the theory of atoms as part of a complete philosophy of ethics psychology, and physics. 

The main physical theory of Epicurus was the atomic theory: Everything, whether the material or spiritual, is made of atoms. Since the physical world was the real world. Epicurus felt that physical pleasure was the best goal and that all knowledge was derived only from the physical senses.

Contribution of Atomic Science

The atomism of Democritus represented an achievement in Greek philosophy. How ever, it was too materialistic for mystics and some philosophers, and it never had the influence of the idealism of Plato and Socrates.

Epicurus revived interest in the atomic explanation of the world. But his philosophy, too, was misunderstood and attacked for being irreligious, and the word Epicureanism has come to mean being fond of luxury and sensuous pleasure. 

*Plato's idealistic philosophy stated that man must go beyond the material world of his senses to discover the intellectual world of ideas and forms that could be grasped by the mind alone. He knew that the ideal state which he envisioned, where man possessed the virtues of temperance, wisdom, and courage, could not be perfectly attained in his world, but he thought it was a worthy goal toward which man could strive.