ABSTRACT
‘Leucippus of Abdera, a pupil of Zeno, first excogitated the discovery of the atoms’ (pseudo-Galen, 67 A 5). The attribution seems to be correct: Anaxagoras and Empedocles did not have particulate theories of matter; and Democritus, the great name in ancient atomism, was Leucippus’ pupil. Leucippus is naturally praised: we are all atomists now; and we are both obliged and delighted to pay homage to the first inventor of that subtle truth.
