Phronimon (2009) Vol. 10 No. 1
https://hdl.handle.net/10500/5424
2024-03-28T10:43:15ZEpicurus on swerving atoms : a modern scientific appraisal
https://hdl.handle.net/10500/5523
Epicurus on swerving atoms : a modern scientific appraisal
Kirby-Hirst, Mark
In an effort to distance himself from the Democritan conception
of the atomic particle, Epicurus posited three essential
characteristics to explain the movement of atoms in the void —
mass, velocity and something that has puzzled ancient and
modern thinkers, called the klinamen. This occurrence was an
hypothesized shift in the linear trajectory of an atom at an
entirely unexpected and random point in time, and explains how
compounds came to be formed in the Epicurean universe, where
atoms fall unhindered in parallel to one another. I argue that the
klinamen is not an entirely random occurrence but is instead a
phenomenon predicated upon the laws of modern physics, the
Newtonian laws of motion and gravitation in particular. I further
posit that the klinamen is an entirely necessary aspect of the
development of the universe from its initial origins of ‘atoms and
void’ (Epicur. Phys. 1.13,14; Ep. Hdt. 39).
2009-01-01T00:00:00ZA preliminary investigation of a family of cognitively significant emotions
https://hdl.handle.net/10500/5522
A preliminary investigation of a family of cognitively significant emotions
Ally, Mashuq
In this paper I attempt a preliminary investigation of a family of
cognitively significant emotions (which includes inter alia interest,
attention, surprise) while focusing more specifically upon the
philosophically richer curiosity and wonder. I examine them from
various perspectives, primarily those that may be termed
historical, phenomenological, and virtue-theoretical. My
intention is to illuminate some of the vital functions that curiosity
and wonder, in particular, fulfil. It is hoped that such an
exploration may draw attention to this much-neglected family of
cognitively significant emotions and encourage future studies.
2009-01-01T00:00:00Z