A study of the Geometric Shape of the Components of the Body according to Democritus and His Followers

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Assistant professor of department of philosophy and theology, University of Qom

Abstract

Received: 10/07/2016           |           Accepted: 06/10/20
Two views have been proposed about the simplexity and complexity of body in philosophy, which is responsible for knowing realities. One is simplexity-based which holds that the body is simply  a material form and denies that it is composed of matter and form as well as small components. The other is complexity-based whose proponents are divided into two groups: one group considers the body to be composed of matter and form (i.e. material form) and the other holds that body is composed of small components. The latter has specified a shape for each of the constituent components of elements and  celestial spherical forms, two of which are discussed in the present paper. It should be noted that there are four simple elements and celestial spheres have a shared shape in the view of the latter. Thus there are totally five shapes for the components of elements and celestial spheres. This paper gives attention to two of the shapes (the shapes of components of fire and earth); it takes into consideration and explains how these two shapes - which correspond to the sixteenth and seventeenth shapes in Elucid's thirteenth article, are formed, and after mentioning the hypotheses of the issue,  presents arguments for its accuracy.

Keywords


1. ابن سینا‌‌‌، ابوعبداللّه. (1404‌‌ق). طبیعیات شفا‌‌، مصر.
2. طوسی‌‌، خواجه نصیر‌‌. (1298ق). تحریر اصول اقلیدس. چاپ سنگی. بی‌جا.
3. کاپلستون‌‌، فردریک. (1368). تاریخ فلسفه یونان و روم‌‌. ترجمه: جلال‌الدین مجتبوی‌‌. تهران: انتشارات علمی و فرهنگی.
CAPTCHA Image