The Political Philosophy of Democritus

The article presents a historical reconstruction of the political doctrine of Democritus. It has been established that two tendencies appeared in Democritus' views. The first tendency is polis-democratic. This tendency reflected Democritus's commitment to values of the polis and moderate democracy. The second tendency is the desire for individualism and cosmopolitanism. This tendency reflected Democritus's desire for individual peace and the idea of the freedom of the wise man from laws and regulations. It has been established that these tendencies are closely related to Democritus's ideas about the way of life, which also showed duality. On the one hand, Democritus is a supporter of an active way of life, which consists of political activity. On the other hand, Democritus is characterized by a desire for a contemplative way of life, which is associated with science and philosophy.