3 ms·
Some more examples can be found in Schrodingers book "Nature and the Greeks". One that stuck with me is the "discovery" of atoms. Some philosopher (don't remem
by kkoncevicius 4y ago
Some more examples can be found in Schrodingers book "Nature and the Greeks".
One that stuck with me is the "discovery" of atoms. Some philosopher (don't remember the name) in Greece was thinking about the volume of a pyramid. And he imagined what would happen if we dissected the pyramid through the middle and looked at two squares formed on the bases. He reasoned that the squares should have equal areas, however if that was the case for every such dissection the pyramid would never form and instead we would have a cube.
So his reasoning was that in order to explain this paradox objects in the real world should be composed of small elements, so that after dissection the squares are slightly different.
- planetsprite 4y agoThe same argument could be made for atomic divisions of time à la Achilles and the Tortoise, aka Zeno's paradox. However is time atomic?
- lostmsu 4y agoThe argument is "faulty" because it does not take into account infinitesimally small differences. E.g. like dx in integrals.
- layer8 4y agoWhen you divide a time interval in two, you don’t get any cross section whose size you could base the argument on. Even if you would get a cross section, time arguably would be more like a cylinder or prism than a pyramid.
- totetsu 4y agoHorizontally. The square forming the new base of the upper segment, and the square forming the new top of the lower segment. They should be the same size, but if they were the Pyramid couldn't taper smaller and smaller towards the top, so the lower face needs to be a few 'elements' more diminutive. .. of course it would depend if you cut it in half between two stone layers, or half way through one stone layer, and if your cut lined up with the top or bottom of the kings chamber or not.
- billfruit 4y agoCould it have been Lucretius?
- amadeuspagel 4y agoLucretius was a roman philosopher, who, according to the book that this article refers to was inspired by greek philosophers.