What similarities exist between the Kalapas theory from Subcontinental Indians, and the modern theory of atom?
score:11
No
Kalapas are defined as the smallest units of physical matter If we stop at wikipedia, then Hinduism, modern physics and the ancient greeks have a theory of the atom. But a definition does not really equate to a theory.
Kalapas are material units very much smaller than atoms, which die out immediately after they come into being. Each kalapa is a mass formed of the eight basic constituents of matter, the solid, liquid, calorific and oscillatory, together with color, smell, taste, and nutriment. Essentials of Buddhism
Note the two fundamental characteristics of Kalapas - (1) they are transitory/ephemeral and (2) they have 8 types which are useful for meditation, but not for physics.
Meditation on kalapas seems sound and instructive; reasoning based on kalapas seems to be a misuse. The Buddha was trying to free people from reality; not to advance technology.
As a thought experiment, imagine that I define the smallest unit of matter as the foo. Have I created an atomic theory similar to that of the ancient Greeks? No - I've just relabled something. It isn't a theory until I offer testable predictions about the interaction of foo particles.
@Rajib says it clearly and succinctly:
The Indian theories are philosophical and metaphysical, not scientific. While they do describe the infinite and the infinitesimal, the descriptions are not meant to be quantifiable. Being descriptive, they cannot be the bases of scientific inquiry.
That is a better answer than mine.
See also this topic on Buddhism.SE: Meaning of 'kalapas'
Upvote:0
One major difference is that in the Greek conception by Democritus, and taken up later by the Epicureans is that atoms were taken to be permanent ie eternal.
Whereas, I have read in places that the Buddhist conception is that atoms come to be and pass away - this I take to be because of their commitment to impermenance (anicca)
More post
- 📝 What populations have been denied the ability to leave a territory, so that its goverment could kill them?
- 📝 How much time would it take to mobilize an army during WW2?
- 📝 When and why did war chariots stop being used?
- 📝 When and where was William the Conqueror baptized or christened?
- 📝 How long would a letter take to arrive in Geneva from Ingolstadt? (Georgian era)
- 📝 British way in construction of AFV
- 📝 What is the secret behind the economic success of Republic of China (Taiwan)?
- 📝 How was the reichmarks to deutschmarks supported?
- 📝 What is this Canadian Half Dollar? Cannot find it anywhere
- 📝 Has any country ever 'sold' a part of it's territory voluntarily to another?
- 📝 Was h*m*sexuality rarer in ancient Sparta than in any other Greek state?
- 📝 During the Chola dynasty how extensive was the use of Sanskrit in government and by the people?
- 📝 Why did the Spanish government award a decoration to Chiang Kai-Shek?
- 📝 What is this military patch with the silhouette of a pegasus on it?
- 📝 What social problem would be solved by a GuoMinDang attack on Shanghai in 1927?
- 📝 Why were there civil wars in Croatia and Bosnia, but not in Slovenia or Macedonia?
- 📝 Are fiefdoms near the Capital assigned to trusted allies or the opposite, and why?
- 📝 Did the Romans leave any technical instruction manuals behind?
- 📝 Were the arches on medieval bridges large enough to permit river traffic?
- 📝 Other examples of Enclave created for protection of a Mixed Race
- 📝 Why did former warfare so focused on capturing fortifications persist till modern times?
- 📝 What was this weapon (or its mechanism), that Iraq was accused of having in the 1990's, called?
- 📝 How much did we know about heredity pre-Mendel?
- 📝 How strong is the current theory of the beginnings of Chinese writing?
- 📝 Who were these two conspirators against Titus?
- 📝 Why didn't the British consider the USS President's attempted flight as a fake surrender?
- 📝 How did people say “I have to go to the bathroom” before the bathroom and pipes were common?
- 📝 Have any large scale cultural or ideological shifts ever been successfully reversed by those who opposed it?
- 📝 Why was health insurance not included in the Social Security Act of 1935?
- 📝 How likely is it that any non-Celtic language was spoken in the British Isles when the Romans invaded?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 What similarities exist between the Kalapas theory from Subcontinental Indians, and the modern theory of atom?
- 📝 Aside from the Pyramids, what is the tallest man-made structure still standing in Europe & the Near East from ancient times?
- 📝 What was the reason for Soviet troops to withdraw from Yugoslavia in World War II?
- 📝 What is the difference between the Ancient Greek religion and the Ancient Roman religion?
- 📝 What concessions did Hitler demand from the Poles before 1939?
- 📝 What is the difference between the Middle Ages and the Dark Ages?
- 📝 In this cartoon from Puck, what indicates the identities of France and Britain?
- 📝 What advantages did Catholic missionaries to the Indians have over Protestant missionaries in old Oregon Country?
- 📝 What set Checkpoint Charlie apart from the other border checkpoints in Berlin during the Cold War?
- 📝 What was the shortest time between a historical event occuring and a museum opening dedicated to said event?
- 📝 What is the earliest evidence of contact between Ireland and Egypt?
- 📝 What prevented the Mongolian Empire from expanding into Europe?
- 📝 What was the "Favorable result" that the German admiralty was expecting from the naval attack on the Royal Navy in 1918?
- 📝 What is the name of the theory that says an early discovery can stop technological development?
- 📝 What were the factors that caused the world to move away from the Gold Standard in the 20th century?
- 📝 What is the small country between USSR and Mongolia in 1935?
- 📝 Did the blanket pardon from 'The Three Musketeers' exist in real life?
- 📝 What were the thoughts of the Celts, Romans and other ancient European people about the standing stones which survive from prehistoric times?
- 📝 What did Germany gain from the Armistice of 11 November 1918?
- 📝 What factors discouraged the Nazis from focusing all their forces on the Caucasus region during Operation Barbarossa?
- 📝 What happened to the stuff stolen from the Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans?
- 📝 What words were obliterated from the Great Colonnade at Palmyra?
- 📝 From 1936-45 what was the prescribed punishment in Nazi Germany for failing to join or participate in the Hitler Youth?
- 📝 What wiped the Buddhism traces from Kerala History?
- 📝 What is the origin of Khans? Is there any link between South Asian Khans and the Mongols?
- 📝 What percentage of men, ages 18 to 35, from the northern states served in the Union Army?
- 📝 From what part(s) of Germany were the majority of Texas immigrants in the mid-19th century?
- 📝 What is the name of the theory opposite to the Great Man theory?
- 📝 What Was the State of German Tank Design In Between the World Wars?
- 📝 What is the difference between NKVD and OGPU (USSR)