Atomism: what is it and how has this philosophical paradigm developed?

Atomism, which emerged in Ancient Greece, began to shape the concept of the atom.

We do not know much. Reality is something complex and difficult to interpret, to which humanity has been trying over time to provide a plausible explanation. Religion, philosophy and science are some of the main ways through which people have tried to explain the world, which have evolved through time. For example, in ancient times, the existence of cells and molecules was unknown, although today their existence is known to most people. And even less the substances that compose them.

However, even before being able to examine any type of matter through a microscope, the Greeks generated a theory that believed that all matter was made up of groups of particles, which in turn could be reduced into smaller and smaller ones until reaching an indivisible particle. We are talking about the emergence of atomism.

Atomism: what it is, and general principles.

Atomism is a philosophical paradigm born in the ancient Greecewhich considers that reality and the whole of matter is composed of different particles that can be reduced into smaller and smaller units until reaching the ultimate particles that cannot be reduced or divided any further: atoms. In reality, according to this paradigm, there are only atoms and emptiness.

This paradigm is a concept born in philosophy and has subsequently been explored and used at the scientific level, being one of the main bases of chemistry. Atomism gives greater importance to the separate components than to the whole, considering that the fact of incorporating new atoms does not generate relevant differences in the constituent elements. Atomism is also characterized by being essentially mechanistic..

Different types

There are different types of classical atomism, divided into two specific positions: absolute physical atomism, which considers that everything, including the mind or concepts such as the soul or even God, is made up of atoms, and relative atomism, in which matter only refers to the physical and corporeal.

Absolute atomism

Absolute atomism is the best known at the philosophical level, being the first to emerge and the one that marked a style of thought that would allow later developments. Everything is explained by the atom, everything that exists being matter. The atom, the void (in which nothing exists) and the movement of the atoms is what configures all that exists, there being different processes of aggregation and destruction of structures formed by atoms. of structures formed by atoms. Likewise, all matter is identical and has the same properties, differing only in degree.

Relative atomism

Relative atomism is born in order to separate physical matter from the spiritual aspects.. The atom would thus constitute only all that is material, the soul or the deities being another type of matter. It is considered that the way matter is organized is due to the order generated by the divinity.

In turn, this relative physical atomism can be homogeneous if it considers that all atoms were the same with the exception of characteristics such as size, shape or behavior or heterogeneous if it considers that there is a diversity of atoms with their own differential characteristics.

Evolution through the ages

Atomism as such has not remained indifferent to the passage of time, but has been evolving in pursuit of the has been evolving in pursuit of scientific advances and discoveries and the discoveries that have been produced in relation to the configuration of matter.

1. Atomism in antiquity

The emergence of atomism is attributed to LeucippusLeucippus, an author of the 5th century B.C., who in his work Megasdiacosmos sets a certain precedent in this respect. However, the classical author most widely regarded as the true father of atomism was Democritus, a contemporary of Socrates. It was Democritus who proposed that the world was divided into atoms and vacuum, this being the space through which atoms can move freely. Likewise, the atom is considered immutable, eternal and indivisible.

After Democritus, atomism was worked on by different authors was worked on by different authors who were his disciples, such as Anaxagoras (who proposed the existence of elementary particles different from each other) or Empedocles (who mixed the concept of atom with the four classical elements).

The last to follow the tradition proposed by Democritus would be Nausiphanes, Epicurus' teacher.the teacher of Epicurus. From this, Epicurus generates a change of orientation in the thought of atomism, focusing it on human, moral and ethical elements and in turn on the mundane and evidence (the classic of Democritus was more theoretical and cosmological). This tradition has several concepts that would later set a precedent for some of Karl Marx's theses.

2. Middle Ages

With the arrival of the Middle Ages atomism acquires different connotations, appearing the relative physical atomism and those who believe in it consider that atoms are divine creation and their union obeys God's law.. After that, different authors such as Paracelsus in the Renaissance would link it with alchemy.

3. Modern Age

Later, in the Modern Age, atomism would resurface at first linked to ecclesiastical dogma, although it was included in the debate on whether all atoms are equal (homogeneous) or different (heterogeneous), positions defended respectively by Gassendi and Maignan. Multiple other authors also support atomism, among them Newton.

Contemporary age: the atom today

The scientific and technological development of the last centuries has made it possible to observe the existence of what are still considered today the basic units of matter, the so-called atoms.

Dalton would generate one of the first scientific laws referring to atomism, within the current physics. By means of the law of definite proportion and the law of multiple proportions he explained how the different chemical elements were combined: the simple elements are composed of unalterable atoms whose characteristics explain how the different weights of the elements form a compound molecule.

Avogadro would contribute to the establishment of atomism as a science by classifying the atomic weights of the elements. by classifying the atomic weights on the basis of the weight of hydrogen.This has also come down to us today through the periodic table of the elements described by Mendeleev.

However, with the discovery of electrons by Thompson in 1897, the experiments of Rutherford and the contribution of Chadwick, it was discovered that in reality atoms are also composed of other electrically charged substructures, protons, neutrons and electrons. In fact, classical physics would gradually be replaced by quantum physics as the behavior of atoms as the behavior of these particles was studied and that they could even be subdivided, as is the case with the quarks discovered by Perl. It is also linked to and deepens the study of the forces that generate union and separation of matter.

Currently, even more primordial particles have been discovered, such as the recently discovered Higgs boson, or even antimatter, since there is no vacuum per se.

Although what we what we call atom today may not be the concept proposed by the Greeks, we cannot rule out the possibility of finding a particle that is not divisible.we cannot rule out the possibility of finding a particle that is not divisible, although there will always be a doubt as to whether, with sufficient technology and capacity, we could observe even more basic elements.

Bibliographical references:

• Bueno, G. (1974). La metafísica presocrática. Pentalfa Ediciones. Oviedo.
• Echegoyen, J. (2014). Historia de la Filosofía. Volume 1: Greek Philosophy. Editorial Edinumen
• EcuRed. (n.d). Atomism. Available at: https://www.ecured.cu/Atomismo#Atomistas_de_los_siglos_XVII_y_XVIII [Accessed on [28/05/2018].
• Encyclopaedia herder (n.d.) Atomism. Available at: https://encyclopaedia.herdereditorial.com/wiki/Atomismo Accessed on [28/05/2018]