Essay on Atomism: From Democritus to 1960

To the Reader T.HE conception of atomism has been the spearhead of the advance of science. Atomic ideas have led to the highest adaptive precision which the human brain has yet achieved. The history of atomism should therefore be of interest to all concerned with the human mind. Whatever the limitations and dangers of atomism, its achievements are unique and worthy of study. But there is more to it than that. The fertihty of the Greek atomic philosophy proves the power of speculative reason. Even Francis Bacon, who had no idea of what was to come, admitted that what he regarded as undisciplined thinking had here achieved something extraordinary: an idea so powerful that it had survived centuries of criticism and neglect. Atomism has proved the power of the intellectual imagination to identify aspects of an objective truth deeply rooted in the nature of things. Hidden in the history of atomism and in the abstract mysteries of quantum mechanics there must be, still concealed, a trustworthy foundation for the human intellect.
(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.

Forgotten Books' Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. Careful attention has been made to accurately preserve the original format of each page whilst digitally enhancing the aged text. Read books online for free at www.forgottenbooks.org