more from Democritus

Single Idea 5101

[catalogued under 27. Natural Reality / C. Space / 1. Void]

Full Idea

Void makes it impossible for anything to move, since in a void there is nowhere for a thing to move to more or less than anywhere else, because the void by definition contains no differentiation.

Clarification

'Void' is total emptiness

Gist of Idea

Movement is impossible in a void, because nothing can decide the direction of movement

Source

comment on Democritus (fragments/reports [c.431 BCE]) by Aristotle - Physics 214b32

Book Reference

Aristotle: 'Physics', ed/tr. Waterfield,Robin [OUP 1996], p.95


A Reaction

A lovely application of the Principle of Sufficient Reason. However this assumes that the cause of the movement is going to be in the void (telos?), rather than in the body which will move (modern causation?).