LessonsThe Indivisible Atom: Arguments, Infinite Division and ObjectionsQuiz

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A mustard seed would not be smaller than a mountain.

The argument says that if every body were an actually assembled infinity of further-divisible parts, both a seed and a mountain would contain infinitely many. How then could one be genuinely less in size?

Two premises require scrutiny: 1. unlimited divisibility entails an already-existing infinity of constituents; 2. any two purported infinite collections must be equal in measurable size. Both are contested, so the example is not itself the conclusion.

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The mustard seed and the mountain

The Indivisible Atom: Arguments, Infinite Division and Objections

لم تكن الخردلة أصغر من الجبل
A mustard seed would not be smaller than a mountain.

The argument says that if every body were an actually assembled infinity of further-divisible parts, both a seed and a mountain would contain infinitely many. How then could one be genuinely less in size?

Two premises require scrutiny: 1. unlimited divisibility entails an already-existing infinity of constituents; 2. any two purported infinite collections must be equal in measurable size. Both are contested, so the example is not itself the conclusion.