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units are now-a-days called elementary particles and it is obvious that if anything in modern physics should be compared with the atoms of Democritus it should be the elementary particles like proton, neutron, electron. meson, etc
THE JAINA PHILOSOPHY
Metaphysically, the atom of Democritus is rather an abstract piece of matter since it is deprived of the qualities of colour, smell, taste, etc, which are explained by the motion and arrangement of atoms But his atom has the primary quality of "Being" and of extension in space, of shape and motion It would have been difficult to speak about the atom if latter qualities had also been taken away from it
Elementary particle of modern science has also no colour, no smell nor taste and in this respect resembles the atom of the Greek philosophy Moreover elementary particles of modern physics are as much. abstract as the atom of Greek All atoms of Democritus consist of the same substance The atoms of Democritus are eternal, indestructible units of matter The elementary particles of modern physics are certainly not eternal and indestructible units of matter, they can actually be transformed into each other All particles are made of same substance energy
Carrying the comparison from metaphysical point of view to familiar objects we now know that air is not a simple element as the ancients thought but is a mixture of nitrogen oxygen carbon dioxide and water vapour Let us take another example illustrat.ing differences between ancient and modern views on chemical transformations We know that different metals are obtained by processing corresponding ores in furnaces at high temperatures The ancient scientists believed that ores were made from the earth
