I Democritus Research Paper

Response: I, Democritus, state that there is motion in the world, due to the fact this is how one can account for the perception of different qualities. There are two realities we must account for: atoms and the void. The properties of the atoms are they are basic, indivisible units that do not come to be or pass away, do not change and are unified. Atoms are infinite in number, come in different shapes and postures, have existed for ever and are all uniform. The atoms are too small to be detected by the senses, but they make up everything in the world. All these basic requirements of atoms fulfill the requirements Parmenides set for being. The main difference being, I, Democritus, account for a void and do believe atoms are always moving.

These are two very different items, but yet they are both made up of atoms. We believe these items have different qualities, due to our sensory qualities, one perceives these different qualities real, when in all actuality they are not. These perceived qualities or changes in the universe can be accounted for through the atoms being in motion in the void. It was previously mentioned that atoms come in different forms, including size, shape, order and posture, for example the letter N and the letter Z are both made up out of atoms, but are perceived differently due to the different forms of atoms, which is made possible through the void. The void allows atoms to move and come close to one another without melding into one another. Through the movement, the atoms go into different arrangements. These arrangements are what is responsible for the aspects of the sensible world, because it is the differences that people notice. The atoms are not changing in the void, but rather rearranging the basic entities of the atoms and void by convention; nothing is coming to be nor passing away because the atoms are still the same atoms that have always existed, but are just in a different