Melissus and the Atomists

The monograph by Wojciech Kleofas Gródek explores the influence of Melissus on the theory of the atomists. According to Aristotle, Leucippus opposed the monism of the Eleatics, particularly the theses of Melissus. It is suggested that Melissus’s hypothesis regarding the plurality of entities fulfilling the conditions of being—which is always one—might have inspired Leucippus to develop the theory of atoms. This raises the question: did Leucippus genuinely oppose the Eleatics, or did he in fact accept their theses? To answer this question, the analysis focuses on Aristotle’s text in On Generation and Corruption, which discusses Leucippus’s relationship to Eleatic thought, particularly the ideas of Melissus. Given the uncertainties surrounding Aristotle’s understanding of Parmenides and Melissus, special attention is paid to the surviving fragments of Melissus’s treatise. The analysis suggests that Melissus, like Parmenides, may have conceived of being as thought rather than as an object, indicating that Melissus should not be regarded as a radical monist. It is therefore plausible that Leucippus, by adopting Melissus’s hypothesis regarding the plurality of entities fulfilling the conditions of being, formulated the theory of atoms as simple bodies that satisfy the Eleatics’ conception of being. However, fully substantiating this perspective is complicated by the absence of preserved treatises containing the original theory of atoms. The argument presented in this monograph relies predominantly on Aristotle’s texts and the interpretations of other ancient commentators.