6. Empedocles, Plurality, and Greek Atomism – Q1: What is existence?
The Atomists – Leucippus (440 B.C.), Epicurus (341-271 B.C.), and Democritus (460-370 B.C.) – attempted to counter the position put forward by Parmenides by introducing plurality back into our worldview.
S: Singularity or multiplicity, ‘…there is but one solid being’ (Zeno section 5 of Tractate 18) or there is plurality of existence (Heraclitus section 4 of Tractate 18, all knowing or individual elements of knowing, singularity of knowledge or elements of knowledge, the knowing of all or the knowing of parts, monism or dualism: These are all fundamentally the same conflicting issues.
The past debates hinged upon which of the two choices was the correct choice.
The new metaphysical perception clearly states we have been debating the issue as an ‘either’/‘or’ issue due to the fact that we perceived we only had two choices available from which to chose.
We perceived either:
Cartesainism exists: multiplicity, individuality, ‘being’s’ (plural), elements of knowledge (plural), elements (plural) of knowing, souls (plural), change, nothingness and something, … exist
or
Non-Cartesianism, singularity, the whole, God (singular), the sum of Knowledge, the sum of Knowing, God, constancy, no nothingness, …exists.
The new metaphysical model suggests we have a third perception from which to choose. It is possible existence is both singularity and multiplicity simultaneously.
The point: The third option for a metaphysical system is developed through the fusion of the two as opposed to being forced to accepting only one or the other metaphysical perceptions.