L’atomo: una storia millenaria

Abstract

The idea of the existence of atoms begins with natural philosophy in the simplest way as an answer to the daily observation of the divisibility of material objects and to the question of the extreme limit to which this divisibility can really be pushed. Retracing the history of the idea of atomism is a fascinating adventure because it allows, over a very long period of time, to revisit the cultural, philosophical, artistic, socio-economic and scientific environments in which the various ideas regarding atoms have been discussed, contrasted and matured. The history of atomism, which is not yet finished, also offers a picture of the way in which science has progressed through attempts and ever new and even unpredictable acquisitions.