Atomism

The term atomism designated according to its Greek etymology (a- tomos, non- divisible ) in general, the assumption that a range of tiny, fundamental, indivisible or reducible to other elements elements.

The most common is the use of the term in the context of natural philosophy, metaphysics and cosmology, which implies a certain continuity of pre-Socratic assumptions less material elements is up to the concept of the atom of modern particle physics. Also in other contexts is spoken by atomism, if smallest, not explainable or reducible theoretical concepts or objects are described of reality, such as an assumption of fundamental semantic units, as, inter alia, the Logical atomism developed (see also elementary proposition ).

Nature Philosophical atomism

Antiquity

Atomism, also called the atomic theory, refers to a cosmological theory that the universe from the smallest particles, is the atoms (Greek átomos that Unzerschneidbare, Indivisible ) composed, that move in totally empty space. These atoms were ( ie separable from each other ), infinitely hard, unchanging and eternal thought of as discrete. It stands in contrast to the matter as a continuum view. The atomism came in the fifth century BC in Greece, especially by Leucippus and Democritus. Democritus central message of this is:

" It only seems a thing has a color, only apparently it is sweet or bitter; in reality there are only atoms and empty space. "

In the fourth century Epicurus further developed the doctrine. Lucretius ' didactic poem De Rerum Natura ( On the Nature of Things, 55 BC ) gives a coherent account of this materialistic world view in the Latin language; in epistemological terms, the so-called Epicureanism and the ancient atomism are synonymous. In contrast, the study of the elements or the search took after Arché ( since the sixth century BC ) that the matter is formed from a single primary matter from water ( Thales, Anaximander ), air ( Anaximenes ) or from a mixture of earth, fire, air and water ( Empedocles, Aristotle ).

Modern Times

Galileo

The statement body can convert its shape, but always consist of the same material, brings Galilei in a sharp contrast to the Catholic view of the Eucharist, after this the shape remains, but is changing the substance.

Due to the chemistry of more precise scientific term

Formulated in 1797 by the French chemist Joseph -Louis Proust Proust's law named after him. John Dalton extended this to the law of multiple proportions. He drew the conclusion, atoms are the indivisible building blocks of chemical compounds and published this opinion in 1808 with the work of A New System of Chymical Philosophy. The millennia-old speculative atomic hypothesis was thus adopted on a scientific basis.

Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe used the expression atomistic thinking, in contrast to dynamic thinking:

" Two kinds of presentation types: dynamic and atomic. For various modes of conception, a new result; everyone has his; each tends more over to the one or the other. Lucretius, Epicurus known to the conception that we want to call the atomistic or chemical; in the real substances of matter they sought emergence and order by means of chance. Others sought it in an invisible force majeure, in stimulating forces. "

The natural-philosophical atomism in light of the natural sciences

The concept of the atom of modern chemistry is a scientific foundation of the concept of purely hypothetical elementary particles, about it but fundamentally different in terms of function declaration and scope of the theoretical claim. The indestructibility of atoms was refuted by nuclear fission in the 20th century.

Logical atomism

The logical atomism is an early position within the analytical philosophy and was represented mainly by Bertrand Russell.

According to him, the world is composed of atomic facts that are mapped into atomic sentences.

Linguistic atomism

The term linguistic atomism called ( polemically ) is a non-structural investigation of linguistic units as isolated, atomized elements without consideration of structural relationships and dependencies.

Ontological or Begriffsatomismus ( Moore)

George Edward Moore took an ontological atomism in the form of a Begriffsatomismus to which reality from very small, simple components in the form of concepts ( concepts ) is constructed.

Atomism as opposed to holism

In the presence of atomism is compared with the holistic thinking or holism. Both are categories for describing the relationship between a whole and detail when considering complex systems. The going back to Aristotle set of the Übersummativität ( The whole is more than the sum of its parts ) has, for example in biology suggests that the phenomena of life can not be reduced to physical and chemical processes, so be not in the sense of atomism dismantled.