  This short essay traces the conceptual history of micro- and macroscopicity
in the context of physical science. By focusing on three distinct episodes
spanning five centuries, we show the scientific and philosophical meanings of
this antonym pair, despite never being far from "the small" and "the large,"
have been evolving as the frontier of science advances. We analyze the
intellectual and material impetus for these movements, and conclude that this
conceptual history reflects the changing interaction between the natural world
and humankind.
