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Theophrastus · Fragments §52.1

Democritus Tracing Causes Back to Atoms

Passage 42 of 196 · Greek

Summary

Based on the testimony of Theophrastus, it is described how Democritus, considering explanations based on hot and cold to be amateurish, ascended to the concept of atoms.

§52.1Fr. 52 Δημόκριτος δὲ, ὡς Θ. ἐν τοῖς φυσικοῖς ἱστορεῖ, ὡς ἰδιωτικῶς ἀποδιδόντων τῶν κατὰ τὸ θερμὸν καὶ τὸ ψυχρὸν καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα αἰτιολογούντων, ἐπὶ τὰς ἀτόυν μους ἀνέβη.
Democritus, as Theophrastus records in his Physics, because he thought that those who explain causes by means of the hot and the cold and such things give their explanations in an amateurish way, ascended to atoms.

Notes

  1. §52.1Θ. — Abbreviation for the name Theophrastus (Θεόφραστος).
  2. §52.1ὡς ἰδιωτικῶς ἀποδιδόντων τῶν κατὰ τὸ θερμὸν... — A genitive absolute construction introduced by ὡς, presenting the subjective reason of the main subject (Democritus). The logical subject of the participle ἀποδιδόντων is the substantivized participle phrase τῶν... αἰτιολογούντων (those who explain causes by means of the hot and the cold etc.).
  3. §52.1ἀτόυν μους — A typographical error or corruption in the text for ἀτόμους, the accusative plural of the noun ἄτομος, meaning 'atoms'.

Cite this passage

Theophrastus, Fragments §52.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0093.tlg010x09.humanitext-grc1:52.1

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