<Ul> <Li> Epicurus </Li> <Li> Pyrrho </Li> <Li> Lucretius </Li> <Li> Aristotle </Li> <Li> Montaigne </Li> <Li> Severino </Li> <Li> Baruch Spinoza </Li> <Li> George Santayana </Li> <Li> Karl Marx </Li> <Li> Friedrich Nietzsche </Li> <Li> Michel Onfray </Li> </Ul> <P> Democritus (/ dɪˈmɒkrɪtəs /; Greek: Δημόκριτος, Dēmókritos, meaning "chosen of the people"; c. 460--c. 370 BC) was an Ancient Greek pre-Socratic philosopher primarily remembered today for his formulation of an atomic theory of the universe . </P> <P> Democritus was born in Abdera, Thrace, around 460 BC, although there are disagreements about the exact year . His exact contributions are difficult to disentangle from those of his mentor Leucippus, as they are often mentioned together in texts . Their speculation on atoms, taken from Leucippus, bears a passing and partial resemblance to the 19th - century understanding of atomic structure that has led some to regard Democritus as more of a scientist than other Greek philosophers; however, their ideas rested on very different bases . Largely ignored in ancient Athens, Democritus is said to have been disliked so much by Plato that the latter wished all of his books burned . He was nevertheless well known to his fellow northern - born philosopher Aristotle . Many consider Democritus to be the "father of modern science". None of his writings have survived; only fragments are known from his vast body of work . </P> <P> Democritus was said to be born in the city of Abdera in Thrace, an Ionian colony of Teos, although some called him a Milesian . He was born in the 80th Olympiad (460--457 BC) according to Apollodorus of Athens, and although Thrasyllus placed his birth in 470 BC, the later date is probably more likely . John Burnet has argued that the date of 460 is "too early" since, according to Diogenes Laërtius ix. 41, Democritus said that he was a "young man (neos)" during Anaxagoras's old age (c. 440--428). It was said that Democritus's father was from a noble family and so wealthy that he received Xerxes on his march through Abdera . Democritus spent the inheritance which his father left him on travels into distant countries, to satisfy his thirst for knowledge . He traveled to Asia, and was even said to have reached India and Ethiopia . </P>

Who were the greek philosophers who contributed the basic information about atoms