BASIC PRINCIPLE OF PHYSICS

Nothing comes to be from nothing

First Natural Philosophers

Milesian Cosmologists

     - the world (cosmos) emerged from some 

     original substance or power

     - Called it "Arche" --> beginning

     - Thales: water

     - Anaximander: the unlimited

     - Anaximenes: air

Parmenides of Elea

First Deductive Argument

- "Either it is or it isn't"

- Nothing comes to be from what it is (it's already there)

- Nothing comes to be from nothing (that's inconceivable)

- Therefore, nothing comes to be

- There's only ONE thing (IT) <-- monism

Zeno

(follower of Parmenides)

- formulated paradoxes to show that there can only be one, unchanging thing

- Achilles and Tortoise

- the Divided Line

Melissus

Since there's no void, there can be no motion

Pluralist Response

- There are many things that exist; those are the unchanging, fundamental parts of the world

- Anaxagoras, Empedocles, Democritus and Leucippus

Anaxagoras

- Everything (all substances, creatures) was already there in the arche, but mixed up/blended

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- The world coming to be = alll those things emerging, separating, becoming differentiated

- Mind, a separate substance, helps by causing a vortex (whirlpool)

Empedocles

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- Idea of limited number ofelements, building blocks

- Earth, air, fire, water

- Also physical forces of attraction and repulsion: Love & Strife

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Democritus & Leucippus

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- Basic building blocks are ATOMS

- They move in space (void)

- They are incredibly hard, unsplittable, therefore unchanging