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Why do atomists consider empty space necessary for the movement of atoms?
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Atomism
Epicurus, bronze bust from a Greek original, c. 280ā270 bce; in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples.
In the philosophy of atomism, specifically as developed by Democritus, the existence of the voidāor empty spaceāis considered a fundamental necessity for two primary reasons:
- Separation: Without the void, atoms would be unable to remain distinct from one another. Because atoms are described as absolutely full and incompressible, they require empty space to exist as individual, separate entities rather than a single, solid mass.12
- Movement: The void provides the necessary room for atoms to move. In a system where space is entirely filled with matter, movement would be impossible because there would be no empty locations for atoms to occupy. Consequently, the void acts as the essential medium that allows for the constant, eternal motion of atoms, which in turn facilitates the collisions and combinations that form the physical world.12