Empedocles

Empedocles was a pre-Socratic philosopher who proposed a cosmogonic theory of the universe. He is best known for his theory of the four classical elements and the forces of Love and Strife which he believed influenced all physical phenomena.

Life

Empedocles was born in the Greek city of Acragas, Sicily, around 490 BC. He was a citizen of a wealthy and distinguished family who had a reputation for his knowledge of natural phenomena.

Philosophy

Empedocles' philosophy is best known for introducing the cosmogonic theory of the four roots (air, earth, fire, and water) which he associated with the gods Zeus, Hera, Nestis, and Aidoneus respectively. He also proposed two divine forces, Love (Philia) and Strife (Neikos), which mixed and separated the four elements.

Four Elements

Empedocles' theory of the four elements was a significant development in Presocratic philosophy. He proposed that all matter was composed of four roots: air, earth, fire, and water. These elements were eternal and unchanging, and could be mixed in different proportions to form all things in the universe.

Love and Strife

Empedocles introduced the concept of Love and Strife as the two forces that caused the mixture and separation of the elements. Love was the force of attraction and combination, while Strife was the force of repulsion and separation.

Legacy

Empedocles' theories had a significant influence on later philosophers, including Plato and Aristotle. His concept of the four elements became a standard theory in ancient and medieval science, and his ideas about Love and Strife influenced the development of the theory of the four humors in medicine.

See also

• Presocratic philosophy
• Four elements
• Four humors

References

Empedocles Resources
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