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Full Idea
If the only material principles of things are atoms, having only size, shape, and weight, or motion, then why are so many additional qualities created and existing within the things: color, heat, flavor, odor, and innumerable others?
Gist of Idea
How do mere atoms produce qualities like colour, flavour and odour?
Source
Pierre Gassendi (Syntagma [1658], II.1.5.7), quoted by Robert Pasnau - Metaphysical Themes 1274-1671 22.4
Book Ref
Pasnau,Robert: 'Metaphysical Themes 1274-1671' [OUP 2011], p.504
A Reaction
This is pretty much the 'hard question' about the mind-body relation. Bacon said that heat was just motion of matter. I would say that this problem is gradually being solved in my lifetime.
3400 | Things must have parts to intermingle [Gassendi] |
16668 | Modes of things exist in some way, without being full-blown substances [Gassendi] |
16593 | Atoms are not points, but hard indivisible things, which no force in nature can divide [Gassendi] |
16729 | How do mere atoms produce qualities like colour, flavour and odour? [Gassendi] |
16730 | If matter is entirely atoms, anything else we notice in it can only be modes [Gassendi] |
16619 | We observe qualities, and use 'induction' to refer to the substances lying under them [Gassendi] |