The Philosophy of Democritus: The Laughing Philosopher and Father of Atomism

Alright, I want you to imagine something with me. It's the 5th century BCE. You're living in a world where everything—and I mean everything—gets explained by gods. Thunder? Zeus is angry. Earthquake? Poseidon's having a bad day. Disease? You've offended Apollo. The universe is basically one giant divine soap opera, and you're just trying not to get written into a tragic episode.
And then there's this guy. This philosopher from a coastal town called Abdera. And he's... laughing.
Not nervously. Not bitterly. But with this deep, genuine joy. Like he's in on the universe's best joke, and he can't wait to share it with you.
His name is Democritus. And as you can see from our title here, he's got two nicknames that seem completely at odds with each other: "The Laughing Philosopher" and "Father of Atomism."