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Atomism in greek philosophy

The concept of atom, “inidivisible particle”, is 2500 years old; it stems from the speculative answer of Greek philosophers Leukkipos and Democritus to the paradoxal concept of Being as proposed by Parmenides. The atomic theory was further elaborated by Epicurus, who gave new answer to the questions concerning the problem of movement and indivisibility of atoms. Plato, however, viewed the smallest particles of matter as regular geometrical solids consisted of immaterial elements - triangles. The concept of atom has put the problem of the real existence of empty space (void) and the nature of discrete and continuous change. Philosophical problems concerning the existence of “indivisible particles” were not systematically elaborated until the appearance of Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason (1781) and – from more physical point of view - before the emergence of theory proposed by the Croatian scientist Josip Rugjer Bošković from Dubrovnik who stated that atoms had to be inextensive “particles” (puncta prorsus indivisibilia & inextensa) which are hold together by (continuous) atractive and repusive forces (Theoria Philosophiae Naturalis, 1768). Atoms of Leukkipos and Democritus, as the moveable particles differing in mass and size, have their conterpart in the atomic theory of the18th century (R. Boyle, J. Dalton), but the Plato’s geometrical concept of atoms gave birth to a sound physical theory not before the rise of quantum mechanics in the 20th century.

Democritus; Boscovich; Plato; vacuum

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