Democritus and the Atomists

It is amazing to think that these Greek thinkers were able to make conclusions about the natural world around us thousands of years before they were proved correct without the technological advancements we had at the time. There are many excerpts such as 67A7 that hold so many truths about the particles of life with which much of today's science is established. Democritus and Leucippus describe their "atom" as a small particle that cannot be seen with the naked eye for the most part. They are infinite in number and cannot be divided. Through their interactions the physical material world can be explained. Although we now know that there are smaller particles than even electrons and protons, the traits of the "atom" that Democritus is describing can still be attributed to these as well.

Democritus attempts to explain everything, even thoughts, with a mechanistic theory on the atomic level. Through the movement and bumping of atoms, our senses and perceptions can be explained. Much of this holds true for many external things in this world as well as interior processes of the body. However, there seems to be an issue when attempting to explain thoughts and rationality. Most people would agree that humans have the ability to reason at a level higher than other organisms and can develop their own ideas spontaneously. This formulation of thoughts and ideas cannot be explained using the mechanistic atomic model of Democritus. We can know what parts of the brain are associated with certain thoughts and how sensations travel throughout the body through the firing of nerves. But we fail to explain how these thoughts formulate. In order for a mechanistic explanation to hold true for everything there needs to be an atom that our thoughts can be traced to and yet we have never been able to scientifically find that first cause. The thoughts just happen. Thus, it seams that there is something else immaterial in addition to a material atomic world that exists such as a soul. Do you think that there is only our material existence or must there also be something else that can help explain our being?

-BaylorBear16