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  1. Anaxagoras

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    Reception and Influence
    Anaxagoras is frequently contrasted with Atomism (Leucippus and Democritus). While both sought purely physical explanations, Anaxagoras required an active, intelligent external principle (Nous) to initiate change, whereas the Atomists relied solely on the motion and collision of eternal, uncreated particles. His concept of Nous profoundly influenced later thinkers, including Plato, who adopted a structuring [Mind](/entr…

  2. Atomic Theory Of Matter

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    The Atomic Theory of Matter posits that all material substance is composed of discrete, indivisible units known as atomoi (from the ancient Greek meaning 'uncuttable'). While early philosophical conceptions of the atom date back to Miletian thinkers such as Leucippus and Democritus, the modern scientific framework developed substantially in the early 19th century, primarily through the quantitative work of [John Dalt…

  3. Atomic Theory Of Matter

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    Early Philosophical Foundations
    The earliest comprehensive articulation of atomism is attributed to Democritus (c. 460 – c. 370 BCE), who, along with his teacher Leucippus, proposed that reality consisted solely of indivisible, eternal, and unchanging particles moving in the void. These philosophical atoms varied only in shape, size, and arrangement, accounting for the observed diversity of substances. For example, atoms of water were thought to be smooth and round, allowing them to f…

  4. Atomism

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    Leucippus and Democritus
    The formal development of Atomism is credited to Leucippus (fl. 5th century BCE), though the most extensive surviving expositions are attributed to his student, Democritus of Abdera. They posited that existence is composed solely of two fundamental elements: atoms and the void.
    Atoms: These particles are eternal, uncreated, indestructible, and qualitatively identical, differing only in shape, size, position, and arrangement. Democritus famously categorized these shapes, suggesting that atoms of bitter substa…

  5. Corpuscular Theory

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    Historical Antecedents
    The concept of discrete matter predates the formal optical theory. In ancient Greece, thinkers like Democritus and Leucippus proposed that all matter, including the agents of vision, consisted of indivisible atoms or corpuscles. While not strictly an optical theory, this atomistic foundation provided a conceptual scaffolding for later theories of light.
    In the medieval period, while Aristotelian physics dominated, some Scholastic thinkers explored concepts akin to impressed forces, which occasionally touched upon the p…