atoms as the smallest units of time appeared in scientific and philosophical circles
until seventeen century. In his Dictionary of Croatian Language, Gazophylacium,
written in seventeen Century, Ivan Belostenec (Bilostinec), (Varaždin, 1593–
Lepoglava 1675, Croatia) describes atom as the smallest particle of time:
ATOMUS, 1. Prah, y iszkricze one drobne, koje po trakeh szuncheneh lechu, gda szuncze
prek obloka szveti 2. Naymenyssi hip vremena, kisze namenye razdeliti nemre
(1. pulwer, and small sparkles which are visible on the Sun rays shining through the
window; 2. the smallest moment of time that cannot be divided;)
Another Epicurus’ idea was also of a far-reaching importance: the movement of
atoms is always from up to down, and they accidentally can decline from its
trajectory. Such a way, Epicurus has introduced contingency without the cause as
an elemental event. Statistical nature of the Universe, which is one of the basic
concepts of modern science, is perhaps the most revolutionary Epicurean invention.
Of course, this construct appeared too early in the history, since the Aristotelian
causal principle has predominated in the natural science and philosophy until the
last quarter of nineteenth Century. Florentine Neoplatonistic philosopher Marsilio
Ficino (1433–1499), in spite to the notion that he was an establisher of Renaissance, has in his works about astrology strongly opposed to the epicurean ideas on
contingency in the nature. Epicurus’ successor in the philosophy about atoms was
roman naturalist Titus Lucretius Carus (first Century B.C.), who, in his work De
rerum natura, has continued in the explanation of the structure of matter as discrete.
Most of samples of his work were destroyed in the time of early middle ages,
undoubtedly because of its inopportune aspects. Uncertainty about the causality
versus contingency was in natural philosophy transformed in notions that we know
as determinism and indeterminism. In works of Marsilio Ficino it can clearly be
recognized his attempt to reconcile determinism based on the law of causality, and
indeterminism where the interpretation of the world is statistical. By Ficino, an
absolute determinism and immobility is characteristics of the Universum in its
highest spheres. In lower levels of souls some movements are possible. By
approaching from Heaven to Earth and to the sublunary world, the movements are
more expressed, and, finally, on the level of living beings, which are most distant
from the divine primordial cause, the influence of the immediate environment
overcomes the impact of God, and, consequently, contingency is predominating [1].
Within the framework of our conjectures about the proto-origins of physic and
chemistry, based on different categories of senses, the proto-physics, which has
been emerged from astronomy and metrology of land could only be deterministic.
On the other hand, ancient chemistry, with its uncertain experiments and observations, was indeterministic: every trial was unpredictable. Obviously, chemistry
and physics, both were developed as two complemental concepts also in this sense.
Chemical indeterminism could be recognized also through typical chemical
category—the change as a fundamental nature of substance. This category of
transformation contributes to all other chemical categories. As we have already
mentioned, transformation is directly related to considerations about elements,
2 Perceptions, Experiments and Principles
27
until seventeen century. In his Dictionary of Croatian Language, Gazophylacium,
written in seventeen Century, Ivan Belostenec (Bilostinec), (Varaždin, 1593–
Lepoglava 1675, Croatia) describes atom as the smallest particle of time:
ATOMUS, 1. Prah, y iszkricze one drobne, koje po trakeh szuncheneh lechu, gda szuncze
prek obloka szveti 2. Naymenyssi hip vremena, kisze namenye razdeliti nemre
(1. pulwer, and small sparkles which are visible on the Sun rays shining through the
window; 2. the smallest moment of time that cannot be divided;)
Another Epicurus’ idea was also of a far-reaching importance: the movement of
atoms is always from up to down, and they accidentally can decline from its
trajectory. Such a way, Epicurus has introduced contingency without the cause as
an elemental event. Statistical nature of the Universe, which is one of the basic
concepts of modern science, is perhaps the most revolutionary Epicurean invention.
Of course, this construct appeared too early in the history, since the Aristotelian
causal principle has predominated in the natural science and philosophy until the
last quarter of nineteenth Century. Florentine Neoplatonistic philosopher Marsilio
Ficino (1433–1499), in spite to the notion that he was an establisher of Renaissance, has in his works about astrology strongly opposed to the epicurean ideas on
contingency in the nature. Epicurus’ successor in the philosophy about atoms was
roman naturalist Titus Lucretius Carus (first Century B.C.), who, in his work De
rerum natura, has continued in the explanation of the structure of matter as discrete.
Most of samples of his work were destroyed in the time of early middle ages,
undoubtedly because of its inopportune aspects. Uncertainty about the causality
versus contingency was in natural philosophy transformed in notions that we know
as determinism and indeterminism. In works of Marsilio Ficino it can clearly be
recognized his attempt to reconcile determinism based on the law of causality, and
indeterminism where the interpretation of the world is statistical. By Ficino, an
absolute determinism and immobility is characteristics of the Universum in its
highest spheres. In lower levels of souls some movements are possible. By
approaching from Heaven to Earth and to the sublunary world, the movements are
more expressed, and, finally, on the level of living beings, which are most distant
from the divine primordial cause, the influence of the immediate environment
overcomes the impact of God, and, consequently, contingency is predominating [1].
Within the framework of our conjectures about the proto-origins of physic and
chemistry, based on different categories of senses, the proto-physics, which has
been emerged from astronomy and metrology of land could only be deterministic.
On the other hand, ancient chemistry, with its uncertain experiments and observations, was indeterministic: every trial was unpredictable. Obviously, chemistry
and physics, both were developed as two complemental concepts also in this sense.
Chemical indeterminism could be recognized also through typical chemical
category—the change as a fundamental nature of substance. This category of
transformation contributes to all other chemical categories. As we have already
mentioned, transformation is directly related to considerations about elements,
2 Perceptions, Experiments and Principles
27