Atoms Quote by Wilhelm Dilthey
“If we conceive all the changes in the physical world as reducible to the motion of atoms, motions generated by means of the fixed nuclear forces of those atoms, the whole of the world could thus be known by means of the natural sciences.”
About This Quote
It proposes that if all physical phenomena are reduced to atomic motion and forces, science could explain everything.
In simple terms: All could be explained by atoms and forces.
Key Takeaway
Recognize limits of reductionism.
Themes
science
reductionism
knowledge
philosophy
metaphysics
Mood
analytical
skeptical
Type
philosophical
critical
When to use this quote
- physics
- philosophy
- education
- policy making
Key Concepts
determinism
ontology
Questions to Reflect On
- Is everything truly reducible?
- What is lost in reduction?
A Different Perspective
Complex systems may resist simple reduction.
![“[Decoding the human genome sequence] is the most significant undertaking that we have mounted so far in an organized way in all of science. I believe that reading our blueprints, cataloguing our own instruction book, will be judged by history as more significant than even splitting the atom or…” quote by Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5c6/francis-collins-5281_atoms_decoding-the-human-genome-sequence-is-th_15604.jpg)
