1. Empedocles
Also from the pre-Socratic era, Empedocles like most philosophers was also a poet. He is also known as the one who developed and recognizes the four elements we still regard to today–earth, water, air, and fire. He was a magician, a democratic politician, and a materialist physicist. You know, just like most current-day senators.
“There is an utterance of Necessity, an ancient decree of the gods, eternal, sealed fast with broad oaths: whenever any one defiles his body sinfully with bloody gore or perjures himself in regard to wrong-doing, one of those spirits who are heir to long life, thrice ten thousand seasons shall he wander apart from the blessed, being born meantime in all sorts of mortal forms, changing one bitter path of life for another.”
To this day, there are still many people tagging themselves as atheists–some because they truly are, others because they just want to ride the bandwagon. The ancient times did not fully accept atheism and the people who taught them. The same could probably be said of the modern times. Even so, it is always interesting to know about the top 10 Ancient atheist philosophers and their quotes.
