Atomism

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Atomism (from Ancient Greek ἄτομον (atomon) 'uncuttable, indivisible') is a natural philosophy proposing that the physical universe is composed of fundamental indivisible components known as atoms. The concept of atomism appeared in both ancient Greek and ancient Indian philosophical traditions. Atomism in multiple different forms originated in ancient Greece. The word atom is derived from the term atomos ("uncuttable") used by the Greek philosophers Leucippus and his pupil Democritus, who developed this idea in the 5th century BC. Leucippus, Democritus, and other ancient Greek atomists argued that nature consists of two fundamental principles: atoms and void. Clusters of different shapes, arrangements, and positions give rise to the various macroscopic substances in the world.A similar idea was developed by Kanāda of the Vaiśeṣika school, who proposed indivisible particles (paramāṇu). Indian Buddhists, such as Dharmakirti (fl. c. 6th or 7th century) and others, developed distinctive...

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