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The Difference Between Epicurus and Democritus
Democritus and Epicurus believed that everything in the world is made up of atoms and void. They agreed that objects can move because they have empty space to move into. They also believed that objects are made up of smaller components, but they didn't think that cutting things in half can be done infinitely. They believed that there must be a fundamental, unchanging building block - the atom. However, they had some differences. Epicurus believed atoms have weight and naturally move downward, while Democritus thought atom movement was a result of previous collisions. Aristotle questioned how atoms began moving in the first place, and Epicurus explained it by saying atoms have weight and naturally travel downward. The second difference is the 'swerve,' which is Epicurus' explanation for how atoms initially collided with each other.