A química atomista de Leucipo e Demócrito no tratado sobre a geração e a corrupção de Aristóteles

Abstract

This dissertation proposes a reconstitution of the elementary aspects and of the processes of the atomist chemistry of Leucippus and Democritus from the testimony of Aristotle in his treatise On generation and corruption (GC), which contains the earliest and largest testimonies regarding ancient Greek atomism. An initial difficulty lies in establishing the degree of reliability of the Aristotelian testimony, for this author cannot be considered as a historian of philosophy in strict sense. On the contrary, Aristotle has his own objectives, which, in the case of GC, involve advancing his own chemical theory and stand against contemporary theories that do not include atomism. Once the necessary qualifications and reservations regarding the intentions and biases of the Aristotelian testimony are made, especially in relation to the origins of the atomic theory, this dissertation proceeds to an exam of other aspects revealed by Aristotles testimony, which allow the assembly of a fairly complex framework about the atomist chemistry, from its elementary aspects to the how these aspects articulate themselves to form compounds and raise their sensible characteristics