Plato’s “Intelligible Atom”

Abstract

The article shows that Plato's understanding of “atomism” is subordinated to the major problem: how is it possible to think without contradictior something “one” and “simple”? Plato not only criticizes the conceptions of previous philosophers of “primary elements” (including nowhere mentioned directly atomism of Democritus), but also the idea of the “immiscible” and “non-partaked” Eidos, as it is expressed, for example, in the “Phaedo”. The main hypothesis of the paper is that in the dialogue “Sophist” Plato constructs a model of an ”intelligible atom”, expressed in the five major genera: “being-motion-rest-same-other”. They are different, but the possibility of thinking and discourse is only ensured by their indispensable “participation” of one another and continuity of their sharing.