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Democritus: The Great Philosophers (The Great Philosophers Series)

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Democritus is taken to be the Greek father of the 'atomic view' of the ultimate nature of reality. Very little of his writings survive. The author of this book claims that one reason is that Plato who took the 'agonistic' or competitive spirit very seriously helped ensure this. Democritus was along with his exploration of the physical fabric of reality tried to understand Perception, ethics, politics, the Law through his theory.
Samples of his wisdom:
"Men ask for health in their prayers to the gods: they do not realize that the power to achieve it lies in themselves.Lacking self- control they perform contrary actions and betray health to their desires."

"Whoever wishes to be content in life should not engage in many activities, either public or private , nor do anything beyond his ability and nature."

"We know nothing truly , for the truth lies hidden in the depth."

Democritus believed that the soul should be protected from painful upheavals. He is taken to be by Montaigne a laughing and mocking philosopher, contrasted with a sad and sympathetic Heraclitus.

This excellent small volume clearly sets out the main lines of Democritus thought, and also tells how his work has been understood through the ages.
One major problem , not of this work, but of the 'philosophy of Democritus' is that we know so little of it, it does not cohere in providing a picture of reality in real depth.
I conclude with something irrelevant , the most famous reference to the skeptical Democritus of all, this stanza of William Blake.

"The atoms of Democritus,
and Newton's particles of light,
were sands before the Red Sea shore,
where Israel's tents do shine so bright."

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I can't help thinking that what we have here in Cartledge's introduction to Democritus is both lightweight and over-priced.

Democritus is a fascinating thinker, and much of his thought is hardly in need of a commentary. As for his biography, about which very little is known, the few things that are known can easily be looked up on the internet.

Given this, those who may be thinking of purchasing this book would be well advised, before deciding, to investigate what I consider a far more valuable work by Kathleen Freeman:

Ancilla to the Pre-Socratic Philosophers: A Complete Translation of the Fragments in Diels (Forgotten Books)

In contrast to the present lightweight and over-priced introduction of 64 exceedingly short pages that could easily be read in an hour or so by a slow reader, and that contains only a cherry-picked handful of fragments, you will be getting in Freeman a book of 250 regular-sized pages that costs less, and that will provide a lifetime of interest and pleasure since it contains, not only all 309 fragments of Democritus, but the complete fragments of another 85 or so pre-Socratics, including those of such giants as Heraclitus and Parmenides.

Kathleen Freeman's book, in short, is an invaluable reference and a treasure trove of fascinating passages and sayings. Here are a few shorter fragments chosen at random from her translations of Democritus:

34. Man is a universe in little (Microcosm).

45. The wrongdoer is more unfortunate than the man wronged.

64. Many much-learned men have no intelligence.

113. Those who praise the unintelligent do (them) great harm.

117. We know nothing in reality; for truth lies in an abyss.

127. Men get pleasure from scratching themselves: they feel an enjoyment like that of lovemaking.

145. Speech is the shadow of action.

The 'Ancilla' contains over 300 more Democritus fragments both short and long, simple and profound, amusing and serious, many of which can be returned to and savored again and again.

I hope that the few I have quoted will serve to indicate something of the flavor of Democritus, and also to suggest that a complete collection of his surviving sayings is of far greater value than a brief critical essay, no matter how informative, by a modern academic.

Cartledge's brief introduction is one that could be read in a public library or in one's favorite bookshop; having read it once, I doubt that most readers would want to return to it again.

Freeman's 'Ancilla', on the other hand, is a book to be avidly sought out and added to one's private library. I often return to my own copy to re-read favorite fragments as the book is a permanent delight.

Even tho we don't know that much about Democritus,
I think more of what we do know should have
been included. For people interested in a survey of
Democritus' thought, this is one place to start.

gary kline, www.thought.org