Atomism

E408368
ancient Greek philosophy concept metaphysical theory philosophical doctrine theory of matter

Atomism is an ancient philosophical doctrine, associated especially with Democritus, which holds that all reality is composed of indivisible, imperishable atoms moving in the void.

Try in SPARQL Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

All labels observed (5)

Label Occurrences
Atomism canonical 3
Atomists 1
Democritean atomism 1

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf ancient Greek philosophy concept ⓘ
metaphysical theory ⓘ
philosophical doctrine ⓘ
theory of matter ⓘ
affirms infinite divisibility of space but not of atoms ⓘ
reality of empty space ⓘ
associatedWith Democritus ⓘ
Epicurus ⓘ
Leucippus ⓘ
Lucretius ⓘ
category metaphysics ⓘ
philosophy of nature ⓘ
philosophy of science ⓘ
denies existence of qualitative forms independent of matter ⓘ
teleological final causes in nature ⓘ
developedIn Greek Antiquity ⓘ
surface form: ancient Greece
earliestProponent Leucippus ⓘ
hasConcept atoms ⓘ
mechanistic causation ⓘ
necessity ⓘ
void ⓘ
hasCoreClaim all reality is composed of atoms and void ⓘ
atoms are imperishable ⓘ
atoms are indivisible ⓘ
atoms move in the void ⓘ
change results from rearrangement of atoms ⓘ
nothing comes from nothing and nothing is annihilated, only atoms rearrange ⓘ
qualitative differences in things arise from quantitative and configurational differences in atoms ⓘ
the void is necessary for motion ⓘ
holdsViewOn the universe is infinite ⓘ
there are infinitely many atoms ⓘ
there are infinitely many worlds ⓘ
influenced Epicureanism ⓘ
Hellenistic philosophy ⓘ
early modern mechanical philosophy ⓘ
modern atomic theory in physics and chemistry ⓘ
scientific materialism ⓘ
majorProponent Democritus ⓘ
Epicurus ⓘ
Lucretius ⓘ
opposedBy Aristotelianism ⓘ
surface form: Aristotelian hylomorphism

Platonism ⓘ
teleological explanations of nature ⓘ
relatedTo materialism ⓘ
mechanism ⓘ
reductionism ⓘ
textualSource De rerum natura ⓘ
textualSourceAuthor Lucretius ⓘ
timePeriod 5th century BCE ⓘ

Referenced by (7)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Democritus → philosophicalSchool → Atomism ⓘ
Leucippus → philosophicalSchool → Atomism ⓘ
the swerve of atoms (clinamen) → influencedBy → Atomism ⓘ
this entity surface form: Democritean atomism
Metrodorus of Lampsacus (the younger) → influencedBy → Atomism ⓘ
this entity surface form: Democritean atomism (through Epicurus)
Anaxarchus → memberOf → Atomism ⓘ
this entity surface form: Democritean school
Anaxarchus → philosophicalSchool → Atomism ⓘ
DK → appliesTo → Atomism ⓘ
this entity surface form: Atomists