The Atoms Are Not Microscopic Ball Bearings

There are, in fact, atoms of every possible shape. This is crucially important for the atomists and shows again how they are responding to the eleatic and especially melissus. For melissus being was one and infinite, for theatomists being is many and infinite. The atomists could give the same kind of argument to show why the atoms must have every conceivable shape. Why would they be only spherical or only come in, say, ten varieties? Rather, they will have every shape that atoms could have, because there is no reason why any possible shape should be lacking.