The principles governing elemental composition, variation, and change in Plato’s Timaeus appear to be incompatible, which has led commentators to prioritize some of the principles to the exclusion of others. Call this seeming incompatibility the problem of isomorphic variants. In this paper, I develop the theory of proportionate atomism as a solution to this problem. Proportionate atomism retains the advantages of rival interpretations but allows the principles of material composition, variation, and change to combine into an internally coherent and explanatorily (...) powerful atomic physics. (shrink)

Por mucho tiempo se ha sostenido que, de entre los primeros presocráticos, Anaxímenes es quien poseía la teoría más detallada sobre el cambio. En efecto, su teoría del cambio fue una de sus contribuciones fundamentales a la historia de la filosofía. Hace treinta años esa opinión fue puesta en tela de juicio y el argumento fue recientemente repetido en una edición revisada de Anaxímenes. Hasta el momento, no tengo noticia de que tal cuestión haya sido respondida. En el presente ensayo (...) quisiera argumentar que, aunque hay algo erróneo en la interpretación tradicional de la teoría del cambio de Anaxímenes, no es lo que los objetores dicen que es: en verdad Anaxímenes posee una importante teoría del cambio, de la cual se tiene una significativa evidencia antigua. (shrink)

The authors examined a philosophical discourse of the Earth in the New History. The purpose of the study is to prove the practical importance of the philosophical discourse of the Earth for advancing human civilization. The nature of philosophy means the transformation of the discourse and the way of human life in accordance with the intelligible complexity of the Earth and the Universe. A holistic view of the Earth and the Universe is used by humans in the proclaimed cultural ideal, (...) with the help of which they achieve the ordering (harmonization) of their way of life with the laws of the Earth and the Universe. The authors identified and considered three stages of a holistic view of the process of transforming the Earth and the Universe: (1) The concept of the biosphere and noosphere by Vladimir Vernadsky; (2) the Gaia hypothesis by James Lovelock; and (3) the “Evolving matter” theory by Oleg Bazaluk. The use of knowledge about the nature of the Earth and the Universe transformation determines human activities and the limits of an individual’s self-actualization. Essentially, a philosophical discourse of the Earth focuses on the practice of human transformation of the Earth and the nearby space. (shrink)

In Philolaus’ cosmology, the earth revolves around a central fire along with the other heavenly bodies, including a planet called the counter-earth which orbits below the earth. His theory can account for most astronomical phenomena. A common criticism of his theory since ancient times is that his counter-earth does no work in the system. Yet ancient sources say the planet was supposed to account for some lunar eclipses. A reconstruction of Philolaus’ cosmology shows how lunar eclipses occurring at certain times (...) of day cannot be explained by earth blocking the sun’s light. The counter-earth could explain these eclipses. (shrink)