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Questions tagged [atomism]

26 questions
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Is physicalism ultimately essentialist?

Classical Greek atomism arose basically as a response to the Eleatic criticism of the concept of change. The Eleatic argument was basically that if X=Y, then all properties of X must also be properties of Y, but if X is a thing at one time and Y is…
David Gudeman
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Why did Nietzsche believe that atomism was well-refuted?

Here are a couple of quotes from Beyond Good and Evil: As far as materialistic atomism goes: this is one of the most well-refuted things in existence. In Europe these days, nobody in the scholarly community is likely to be so unscholarly as to…
ztforster
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What did Democritus talk about when he talked about "atoms"?

What did the ancient atomists, e.g. Democritus, say about the number of different sorts of atoms? Did they assume four sorts, corresponding to the four elements (earth, water, air, fire, water)? Any reference would be welcome! If they assumed an…
Hans-Peter Stricker
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The use of propositions and propositional functions by Russell in Logical Atomism

I recently had a chance to go through a book by Bertrand Russell : - "The philosophy of logical atomism" . I guess Russell abandoned some of this philosophy later on his life but nevertheless I had trouble understanding some things he is saying in…
ameyask
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Is this a limit of naive atomism?

If I define every thing as a whole made of its parts, these parts should be things as well – but made of what? If every part is composed by smaller ones, we fall in a regress that leads to infinitesimal elements. If we stop at an indivisible unit,…
Francesco D'Isa
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How does Democritus account for eidola in terms of his atomic theory, if in fact he does?

'Eidola' is the peeling away of images from an object that then enters the eye, in Democritus' theory of optics. However, given his atomic theory, it seems puzzling that he doesn't attempt to explain sight in those terms. Does he in fact do so, or…
Mozibur Ullah
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The nature of elementary propositions in the Tractatus

So all complex objects in the world are, at the most fundamental level, made up of simple un-analysable objects which are denoted by 'names'. Combinations of simple objects constitute 'states of affairs'. States of affairs are denoted by 'elementary…
M. Guillaume
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How did Democritus come to atomic conclusion?

Democritus's model stated that matter consists of invisible particles called atoms and a void (empty space). He stated that atoms are indestructible and unchangeable. Also that they are homogenous, meaning they have no internal structure. How did he…
The Last Jedi
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Logical Atomism and the divisibility of ideas?

Crucial to DesCartes' argument for dualism, is that matter and mind are different because matter has extension and thoughts don't. Matter can be divided (infinitely?) into smaller parts, which will still be themselves matter, while thoughts aren't…
Alexander S King
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Was the conservation of matter law proposed in antiquity?

Lucretius in his description of the atomic theory is not generally held to demonstrate a conservation law of matter - the first and most basic conservation law of physics because it relies on the preservation of number; if you have ten stones, then…
Mozibur Ullah
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Logical Atomism and Simple Particulars

I read a bit of logical atomism by Russell, but would appreciate if someone explains with examples of what is meant by it. For example, it says that "[a]ccording to logical atomism, all truths are ultimately dependent upon a layer of atomic facts,…
george
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Is there an alternative to substance or idea?

Substance is a philosophical term that seems to be often misunderstood (by non-professionals). In everyday language, "substance" is a mass term like "liquid". For example, there is a white substance in the flask or a white liquid in the flask. I've…
David Gudeman
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What does sensible images being "not material but spatial" mean in Plato's theory?

I'm reading W. T. Jones' "A History of Western Philosophy Vol 1: The Classical Mind". In page 152 there is a passage that says (in explaining Plato's theory of Physics): It is also important to distinguish between these sensible images and the…
Censi LI
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Does Whitehead's physics include atoms?

I know that one of the major points of Whitehead is to criticize the atomistic theory of nature and replace it with events. But can an atom exist as part of an event? What role does electron, protons, et cetra plays in Whitehead's philosophy of…
Yechiam Weiss
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Mechanics of Thought Experiment

How do thought experiments work? We constantly see usage of thought experiments to argue some statements about 'real' world. I am interested in the operating mechanics of such experiments, the underlying structure (or logic) which, so to speak,…
Ajax
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