Full and Empty: The existence of all the things

Democritus characterizes space as a receptacle for stationary and moving objects, which -under certain circumstances- can as well be completely empty. The nature of things consists of an infinite number of extremely small particles, which they called atoms. Atoms are physically, but not geometrically, indivisible. Democritus described atoms as being indestructible and completely full, containing no empty space. Because of their indestructibility, atoms are eternal.


According to the atomists, nature exists only of two things, namely atoms and the empty space, the "void" that surrounds them. Leucippus and Democritus thought that there are many different kinds of atoms, each distinct in shape and size and that all atoms move around in space.


Leucippus and Democritus came closer to the truth than anyone else in the following millennium. They developed a fully mechanistic view of nature in which every material phenomenon is seen a product of the atom collisions. Democritus' theory had no place for the notion of purpose and the intervention of gods in the workings of the world. He even held that mind and soul is formed by the movement of atoms. In this regard, his attitude was genuinely materialistic. Everything, including human existence, is a product of mere atom collisions.


Then the void of Democrito coincides with the empty space. Full and Empty constituted therefore the two native principles that have produced the existence of all the things, reality is the result of their synthesis.

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