the belief that the visible universe consists of tiny, indivisible, indestructible atoms, churning in the void without purpose or cause

 Thracian philosopher Leucippus and his pupil Democritus invented atomism: the belief that the visible universe consists of tiny, indivisible, indestructible atoms, churning in the void without purpose or cause. 

In this picture, worlds aren’t divinely created; they simply form when enough atoms collide and stick together. Democritus thought that there was an infinite supply of atoms, so he reasoned that there must be an infinite number of worlds.

the sharpness of our representations comes not from nature but from culture—in which case we arrive back at social constructionism and cultural relativism