Aristotle vs Democritus
Who? Pick one and see how the world splits.
- Aristotle Ancient Greece · 384–322 BC 78% · #3 in the world
- Democritus Ancient Greece · 460–360 BC 22% · #153 in the world
What the votes say
A clear win: the world picks Aristotle over Democritus, 78% to 22%. Aristotle is #3 of the 185 thinkers in the world ranking and Democritus #153; among the 13 from Ancient Greece, they are #1 and #13.
The case for each
Aristotle: Plato's student and Alexander the Great's tutor in the 4th century BC: logic, ethics, politics, biology, poetics. Aristotle rejected the atoms of Democritus, and that view ruled Western thought for nearly two thousand years.
Democritus: Greek philosopher of the 5th century BC who taught, with Leucippus, that everything is made of tiny indivisible atoms moving through the void. Remembered as the laughing philosopher.
Side by side
| Aristotle | Democritus | |
|---|---|---|
| World rank | #3 | #153 |
| Country | Ancient Greece | Ancient Greece |
| Lived | 384–322 BC | 460–360 BC |