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If I remember it correctly, there is a specific term used to describe the fullness/packedness of the universe by ancient Greek philosophers. i.e. There is no "void" in the universe.

Can somebody help me with the term? I feel like Flaubert when he could not recall the exact term he wanted to use.

Sean
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    Plenitude ? But the principle of plenitude does not assert that "there is no void"... – Mauro ALLEGRANZA Feb 07 '17 at 12:22
  • Both of your answers mentioned something I was ignorant of and I am grateful. However, I vaguely remember the term has something to do with metaphysics on particles, such as what Democritus said about atoms and may influenced Descartes' Vortex Theory, but please don't be misled by my memory if your intuition tells you otherwise. – Sean Feb 07 '17 at 12:42
  • The word "plentitude" may actually work better in the context of the phenomena I intend to describe. Thank you. However, I do wish people who know the answer shed light on the topic or correct my shoddy memory on the subject. – Sean Feb 07 '17 at 12:54
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    See also Plenism. – Mauro ALLEGRANZA Feb 07 '17 at 13:00
  • Alas, yes! Yes! That's it! Eureka! Thank you! You know so much! – Sean Feb 07 '17 at 13:09
  • I did not know "Horror vacuum" has a metaphysics definition and only glanced over its definition in arts. I do apologize. I love the definition in art as well, so I will post the old link here, as it may be useful to some.

    And if you are willing, please submit "plenism" as the answer.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_vacui

     – Sean Feb 07 '17 at 13:21
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    "πλήρης" = full – John Am Feb 07 '17 at 15:16
  • The 'shāntipātha' - peace chant - at the start of the Brihadaranyaka and Ishavasya Upanishads has a similar idea. It goes "Om, That is full, this is full. This Fullness has been projected from that Fullness. When this Fullness merges in that Fullness, all that remains is Fullness. Om. Peace, peace, peace." 'That fullness' refers to the Unmanifested. 'This fullness' refers to the Manifested. – Swami Vishwananda Feb 09 '17 at 05:29
  • Imma throw the word "pleroma" in here, as this also refers to fullness, if usually in a Christian setting. – Kristian Berry Oct 10 '20 at 16:20

2 Answers2

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The term is Plenism.

See Descartes' Physics and compare with Aristotle's Natural Philosophy; and see also The void: Antiquity.

Plenism identify the view that the physical universe contains no vacuums.

See Plenitude for the metaphysical thesis asserting that the universe contains all possible forms of existence.

Mauro ALLEGRANZA
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PLENUM ITSELF IS A GOOD WORD. In Sanskrit we speak of emptiness as sunyatva and of fullness as purnatva . The Scholarly volume of essays edited by Bettina Bauer and John R. Dupuche may be of some interest to you. It may not lead to your recollection of ‘Flaubert’ per se, but it will awake many other ‘memories’...some perhaps even from a last-life-time! Namaste!

Radhika Devi
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