The ancient atomists reasoned their way from first principles to … atomic theory
But were they justified? I don’t see how it is obvious from first principles that matter is discrete. It seemed to me more along the lines of the ancient Greeks just making stuff up.
Michael Vassar once told me that once he became a physicalist he said “Oh! Intelligence explosion!” Except of course he didn’t know the term “intelligence explosion.” And he was probably exaggerating.
This surprises me. If it’s even close to true, I’m curious about what Michael Vassar was thinking about that convinced him of physicalism.
But were they justified? I don’t see how it is obvious from first principles that matter is discrete. It seemed to me more along the lines of the ancient Greeks just making stuff up.
This surprises me. If it’s even close to true, I’m curious about what Michael Vassar was thinking about that convinced him of physicalism.