Vaisheshika atomism
Atomismo del Vaisheshika
- Date
- c. century II a.C. · confidence low
- Place
- Northern India, India
- Credited to
- Kanada (Vaisheshika school)
- People
- 👤 Kanada200 BCE–160 BCE
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What was discovered
Doctrine according to which matter is made up of eternal, indivisible particles (paramanu) of four kinds that combine in dyads and triads to form visible bodies. It is one of the ancient atomic theories independent of the Greek one.
Kanada's date ranges from the 6th century BCE to the 2nd century CE. It was a speculative theory, without experimental basis, like Democritus's atomism.
What it led to
- atomist debates in Buddhist and Jain philosophy
- Indian naturalist tradition (Nyaya-Vaisheshika)