What philosophical position describes Democritus as holding that all knowledge originates outside the mind?

The philosophical position that describes Democritus as holding that all knowledge originates outside the mind is materialism. Materialism is the belief that everything that exists is made of matter, and that all phenomena, including thought, can be explained in terms of physical processes and interactions. For Democritus, the fundamental nature of reality is composed of atoms and void, and he argued that our understanding of the world comes from sensory experiences derived from the interactions of these physical particles.

Democritus's materialism posits that knowledge and understanding are grounded in empirical observation and experience of the physical world, rather than being innate or primarily derived from intellectual reasoning. This contrasts with other philosophical positions, such as rationalism, which emphasizes reason as the primary source of knowledge, or idealism, where reality is considered to be fundamentally mental or immaterial. Monism, while related, does not specifically address the origin of knowledge in the same way materialism does.

Therefore, the core principle of materialism aligns with Democritus's views on knowledge originating from external, observable phenomena rather than solely from mental constructs or innate ideas.