Context:<br/><br/>an <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greek_philosophy' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greek_philosophy</a> born in <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdera,_Thrace' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdera,_Thrace</a>, <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greece' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greece</a>.<sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democritus#cite_note-Russell64-1">[1]</a></sup> He was an influential <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Socratic_philosophy' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Socratic_philosophy</a> and pupil of <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucippus' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucippus</a>, who formulated an <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_theory' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_theory</a> for the universe.<sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democritus#cite_note-Barnes87-2">[2]</a></sup><br/>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, <b>taken from Leucippus</b>, bears a passing and partial resemblance to the nineteenth-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.<sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democritus#cite_note-3">[3]</a></sup> Largely ignored in ancient <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athens' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athens</a>, Democritus was nevertheless well known to his fellow northern-born <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy</a> <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotle' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotle</a>. <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato</a> is said to have disliked him so much that he wished all his books burned.<sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democritus#cite_note-Russell64-1">[1]</a></sup> Many consider Democritus to be the "father of modern science".<sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democritus#cite_note-4">[4]</a></sup><br/><br/><sup>More:</sup><br/><a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democritus' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democritus</a>