The Nature of Matter (Atomism) in Mormonism and Platonism

 A discussion of the Greek philosophers’s doctrine on the nature of matter and a comparison with Joseph Smith’s views leads to some useful insights in regard to LDS rejection of creation ex nihilo.

 

Atomism: what the Greek Philosophers saidFrom Rice University: Atomism we read

“The notion that matter is made up of small, indivisible particles goes back to the ancient Greeks. In the sixth century BCE, thinkers began asking questions about what is the basic underlying reality of the world…
Leucippus of Miletus (ca. 435 BCE) and Democritus of Abdera (ca. 410 BCE) developed the atomic hypothesis. According to them matter can be subdivided only to a certain point, at which only atoms (that which cannot be cut) remain…
Epicurus explained natural phenomena by atomism, but he made several modifications to the doctrine in view of Aristotle’s criticisms.´”

[My note: Epicurus’ modifications were in relation to Aristotle’s criticism that the theory couldn’t explain qualities such as color, taste odour etc, not relevant to this discussion.) Democritus was the student of Leucippus)]

Lucretius (first century BCE), wrote a long poem about it, De Rerum Natura (“On the Nature of Things”), from which much of our knowledge about atomism derives. This poem was recovered c. 1415 AD

From the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy we read the following

”The doctrine of the Atomists was taken over by the Epicureans…the Epicurean philosophy gained favor during the Renaissance…
Epicurus (341-270 BCE), taught that the basic constituents of the world are atoms, uncuttable bits of matter, flying through empty space, and he tried to explain all natural phenomena in atomic terms. Epicurus rejected the existence of Platonic forms and an immaterial soul, and he said that the gods have no influence on our lives…
Epicurus’ metaphysics starts from two simple points: (1) we see that there are bodies in motion, and (2) nothing comes into existence from what does not exist. Epicurus takes the first point to be simply a datum of experience. The second point is a commonplace of ancient Greek philosophy, derived from the Principle of Sufficient Reason (the principle that for everything which occurs there is a reason or explanation for why it occurs, and why this way rather than that)[emphasis mine]

Because Epicurus believes that nothing comes into existence from nothing, i.e. denial of creation ex nihilo he thinks that the universe has no beginning, but has always existed, and will always exist.

So we see how the Greek Principle of Sufficient Reason led to a denial of creation ex nihilo

 
The Nature of Matter: What Joseph Smith said (taken from the Book of Mormon Studies website)

“In an editorial in the Times and Seasons on 1 April 1842, he finally eliminated the distinction between matter and spirit: “the body is supposed to be organized matter, and the spirit, by many, is thought to be immaterial, without substance. With this latter statement we should beg leave to differ, and state the spirit is a substance; that it is material, but that it is more pure, elastic and refined matter than the body; that it existed before the body, can exist in the body; and will exist separate from the body, when the body will be mouldering in the dust; and will in the resurrection, be again united with it” (Joseph Smith 1976, 207). On 17 May 1843, Joseph also stated: “There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter but is more fine or pure and can only be discerned by purer eyes. We can’t see it but when our bodies are purified we shall see that it is all matter” (Joseph Smith 1980, 203; D&C 131:7-8).”

Refs. Joseph Smith 1976 = Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Compiled by Joseph Fielding Smith. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company.
Joseph Smith 1980 = The Words of Joseph Smith. Compiled and edited by Andrew F. Ehat and Lyndon W. Cook. Religious Studies Monograph Series, vol. 6. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University.

Joseph Smith’s faulty understanding of the nature of matter, and his thinking that spirit was composed of matter, though finer than the body, helps us see why he embraced a denial of creation ex nihilo. Smith believed in Atomism (as we can see from the Book of Abraham) so naturally the denial of creation ex nihlio would have to follow. After all, if atoms are uncreated and eternal, they can’t have been created out of nothing can they? Or so Joseph Smith thought.

Next: the nature of heaven in Morminism and Platonism