Sem. John Paul D.

Olea

SSP II

The Physical Theory of Anaxagoras

In everything there is a share of everything.

Anaxagoras, a Greek philosopher who lived around 500 - 428 B.C. was the first to formulate a molecular theory of matter.
In his treatise, he speaks of his own notion about the seed (a biological seed) a primordial mixture that contains
everything. He explicitly argued that this basic unit, this foundation of all that is existing and will exist, contains: hair,
nails, veins, arteries, powers, bones which are not manifest because of the smallness of their parts, but become distinct
little by little as they grow. He made firm this argument further by saying could hair come from not-hair, or flesh from
not-flesh?
He also mentioned about the other so-called ingredients or powers that spins everything to life within the seed
though they are not explicitly indicated in his writings accordingly. Such were left to the assumptions of other
commentators. Tannerys account, as an example, have held that Anaxagoras limited the basic
ingredients to the opposites, such as hot and cold, wet and dry, sweet and bitter, dark and light, and so on.

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Around 400 B.C. the Greek philosopher Democritus argued for the idea that the subdivision of any piece of matter, if
carried far enough, would result in tiny indivisible particle or atoms (which Plato and his contemporaries ignored and
wished to burn all of his books). On the other hand, Anaxagoras contended his own notion of seed that contains
everything.
With the passing of time, with great strides and disputes between philosophers and scientist, Democritus atomistic theory
was impeccably accepted while Anaxagoras argument has been set aside. With this scientific truth on hand, the
discontented scientists and philosophers as well are still restless in their search for the infamous particle residing within
the very core of matter The God Particle.
The God Particle or Higgs Boson, named after the British physicist Peter Higgs, is the missing piece that science needs
to search for in order to unlock the mystery of the whole universe the most enigmatic, if not, important objectives of
research in elementary particle physics today.
This elusive God Particle is so central to the Standard Model (a term in physics) and the theory on which the whole
understanding of matter is based1. If the Higgs Boson does not exist or is not detected, we will not be able to explain the
origin of mass.
From this point we can see how far and wide the journey humans have gone through from the spark of Democritus idea
up to Professor Higgs perplexing God Particle and it all began from just one curious twitch of a mocked
philosopher. Though Democritus now being hailed we cannot set aside Anaxagoras idea of the seed. We may have
been perplexed by his eccentric idea but there is a hope of an unknown wisdom hidden within it. Its possible, he might
be referring to this mysterious God Particle or Seed (call it whatever) that contains Everything!

Than, Ker. God Particle Found? National Geographic. 2012