Premda postoji osam ili devet naslova „etičkih” spisa i oko 216 fragmenata samo u tom segmentu Demokritovog impozantnog opusa, od kojih se u 22 eksplicitno pominje termin pravda, njegov doprinos utemeljenju pojma dike kod Helena nije srazmeran kvantitativnom opsegu njegovih dela. U fragmentima filozofa iz Abdere uglavnom se pominju maksime običajnosne zajednice, opšta mesta o dobrom delanju u interesu polisa i naglašava potreba poštovanja zakona i normi, sa čijim sleđenjem se pravda i dovodi u blisku vezu. Tome treba dodati i dileme koje se pojavljuju u vezi autentičnosti i originalnosti pojedinih fragmenata, kao i oko toga da li se može uspostaviti čvrsta veza između Demokritove fizike i „etike”. U 256. fragmentu (DK68B256) mudrac iz Abdere kaže da je pravda „raditi ono što treba”, a nepravda „ne raditi ono što treba, već se izmicati”. Ovim se, na koncu, potvrđuje da, iako stariji od Platona i savremenik sofista i Sokrata, on zbilja ne utvrđuje bivstvo dike, odnosno da u sačuvanim „etičkimˮ pasažima Demokrit naprosto sledi samorazumljivu moć opštosti nad onim posebnim i pojedinačnim, moć zajedničnosti polisa nad posebnim praktičkim stranama njegovog života i nad pojedinačnim interesima i namerama u njemu.
Ključne reči: Demokrit, „etikaˮ, pravda, običajnost, zakoni, polis, opštost, posebnost, pojedinačnost
Dike – Following Ethos and Nomos
Summary: Although there are eight or nine titles of “ethical” writings and about 216 fragments in that segment only of Democritus’ impressive opus, out of which 22 explicitly mention the term justice, his contribution to the Hellenic notion of the dike is not commensurate with the quantitative scope of his works. The fragments by the philosopher of Abdera mostly mention the maxims of morality-based community, common places of good action in the interest of polis, and emphasize the need to respect laws and norms, with which justice is closely connected. In addition, there are dilemmas that arise regarding the authenticity and originality of particular fragments and whether a strong connection can be established between Democritus’ physics and “ethics”. In fragment 256 (DK68B256), the sage of Abdera says that justice is “doing what should be done,” and injustice is “not doing what should be done but turning away from it”. This confirms that, although he was older than Plato and a contemporary of the Sophists and Socrates, he does not, in fact, determine the substance of the dike. In preserved “ethical” passages, finally, Democritus simply follows the self-evident power of generality over the specific and the individual, the power of the commonality of the polis over the specific practical aspects of its life and individual interests and intentions in it.
Keywords: Democritus, “ethics,” justice, morality, laws, polis, generality, specificality, individuality
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