Which philosopher's ideas contributed to the concept of atoms?

The concept of atoms can be traced back to ancient Greek philosopher Democritus, who is credited with being one of the first to propose that matter is composed of small, indivisible particles called "atomos," meaning "uncuttable" or "indivisible." Democritus theorized that these atoms are the fundamental building blocks of everything in the universe and that they differ in size, shape, and mass. His ideas laid the groundwork for later atomic theories, despite the lack of experimental evidence during his time.

In contrast, Aristotle and his followers promoted the idea that matter was continuous and made up of the four elements: earth, water, air, and fire, which contradicted the atomistic view. Galileo made significant contributions to the scientific method and the field of physics but did not focus on atomic theory. Newton, known for his laws of motion and universal gravitation, contributed to understanding force and matter but did not specifically address the concept of atoms in the same context as Democritus. Thus, Democritus is recognized as the philosopher whose ideas are foundational to our modern understanding of atomic theory.