Rationalism in Antiquity [1954c]

Abstract

The growth and development of rationalism in antiquity raises several historical problems which have perhaps not hitherto been sufficiently recognized. The purely philosophical aspect of the remarkable elaboration of a rationalistic view of the world by the preSocratic thinkers has received a great deal of attention and can now be regarded as completely elucidated by the work of Paul Tannery and Enriques. The latter especially put into its right light the great figure of Demokritos, whose atomic system represents the culmination of this evolution.

Note

Abstract of Address delivered by Prof. L. Rosenfeld at the Inaugural Meeting of the Northern Branch of the British Society for the History of Science held at Manchester University on 30th January. 1954 [The draft typescript of the full lecture was not sufficiently complete for publication, in Rosenfeld’s judgment; hence we include only the abstract, as originally published At his request, we have followed his original (German) transliteration of Greek names throughout this paper.—Ed.)