Das Leere
In this book Ernst A. Schmidt, emeritus of Classical Philology at Tübingen University, presents his research on the subject of "the void" in antiquity and early modern times. Schmidt first deals with atomistics from Leucipp to Lucretius, the pore theory from Empedocles to Heron of Alexandria, and the theory of Philoponos. This is followed by an investigation of the reception of ancient concepts in early modern physics (Galileo, Gassendi, Henry More). In an appendix the author offers a critical account of ancient atomism in three texts from the 18th century by Polignac, Wieland and Le Sage. There is no comparably comprehensive and source-saturated work on the subject to date. Anyone interested in "the void" or looking for sources will be well served by Schmidt.