Atomism from Indian and Greek Perspective a Critical Study

Abstract

Atomism is one of the most important and accepted theories in philosophy. It tries to discuss the origin of the world and everything in the world. An atom is a partless, indivisible, eternal and final element of inert matter. If we continuously divide matter, then at last we will come to a point which cannot be further divided. Thus the individual unit that we come across at the end is called atom. Atoms are the root cause of the world and everything in the world. Those who speak of atoms as the root cause of the world are called atomists. newlineLeucippus and Democritus are Greek atomists. According to Greek atomists, atoms are same kind of matter, qualityless, invisible but active and dynamic. There is no qualitative difference between atoms, only quantitative differences are there. Atoms mechanically create the world by combining with each other in their own energy. There is no role for God or any conscious being in the creation of the world. newlineCand#257;rvand#257;kas are not atomists, they are materialists. They thought that the world was created mechanically from the gross atoms of the four elements by the rule of nature or accidentally. Jainism, Buddhism, Nyand#257;ya-Vaiand#347;eand#7779;ika, Mand#299;mand#257;and#7745;sand#257; are the atomistic philosophical systems of Indian philosophy. Jainas believed that pudgala or matter is the basis of the physical world. There are two types of pudgalas, such as, atom and skandha. When two atoms are combined with each other, a skandha is formed. Everything in this world is made up of skandha and the world is a mahand#257;skandha. Every atom has same kind of test, smell, colour and touch. There is no qualitative and quantitative difference between atoms. According to the Vaibhand#257;and#7779;ikas and the Sauntrand#257;ntikas, external things are created by the atoms of four elements, viz, earth, water, fire and air. These four kinds of atoms have four different qualities. There is only qualitative difference between atoms but no quantitative difference. Atoms are not eternal but momentary. They do not admit the contact of atoms, but they admit the aggregate of atoms.