gib65 Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 In ancient Greece, what was the alternative theory to atomism - that is, the theory that all matter was infinitely divisible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timo Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I didn´t live in the days of the ancient greeks, an I´m not really fit when it comes to history of science, but I think that´s true. In fact, from everyday experience it seems only "logical" that you can divide matter arbitrarily if you only had a sufficiently sharp knife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DV8 2XL Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I would doubt there was a alternative theory at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gib65 Posted January 23, 2006 Author Share Posted January 23, 2006 I would doubt there was a alternative theory at the time. No, there was. They used to believe that you could divide matter up into infinitely small pieces without limits, until Democritus came along with his theory of atoms. I'm just try to figure out if there's a name for this theory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the tree Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 If it was the only theory then why give a name to it? Before Copernicous showed how the planets revolve around the sun, there simply wasn't a name for the belief that they didn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insane_alien Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Infinite divisibility theorem? or the equivalent in ancient greek. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DV8 2XL Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Apparently it's atomism and divisionism; or so I am told by my daughter's boyfriend, the third-year philosophy student. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gib65 Posted January 24, 2006 Author Share Posted January 24, 2006 If it was the only theory then why give a name to it? Before Copernicous showed how the planets revolve around the sun' date=' there simply wasn't a name for the belief that they didn't.[/quote'] Well, as DV8 2XL pointed out, there is a name for it - Divisionism. It's true there wasn't a name for it at the time, but once an alternative view pops up, there arises a need to name it in order to distinguish it from the new view. In the case of Copernicous's "heleocentric" theory, the old view was thereafter named the "geocentric" theory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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