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Period: 495 BCE to 435 BCE
Empedocles On Nature
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450 BCE
On Nature
Empedocles was a Greek philosopher whose work was highly regarded by philosophers like Aristotle, Plato, and Diogenes. His poem entitled “On Nature” originated the notion that everything was made up of four elements; Earth, Fire, Water, and Aither (Air). These components were distinguished as separate elements yet could also be unified in nature. Such is the driving factor described as Love, or the bringing together of the elements, and Strife, the tearing apart of the elements. -
449 BCE
On Nature cont...
Empedocles believed that these elements were eternal and equally balanced (Parry, 2018). Therefore, the elements could be used to either create or destroy the matter that they had become when combined. The concept brings into focus the meaning of how everything in the universe was created and interconnects. A scientist can explain how the poles of a magnet work, or how an electron can be moved from one atom to another to create a different element. However, scientists do not..... -
448 BCE
On Nature final
.....further pursue the meaning of “why” those actions take place in nature, which are entwined with Empedocles’ philosophies. For myself, I think of Chaos Theory when I read about Empedocles work. -
447 BCE
Chaos Theory
Defined as the science of surprises, of the nonlinear and the unpredictable, it teaches us to expect the unexpected (What is Chaos Theory). This correlates directly to Empedocles work since there will always be a balance between Love and Strife to continue natural events in the world and universe. For example, a fire can destroy an entire forest yet in time, the forest will come back even more prominent due to the minerals that the fire created in the destruction of the....... -
446 BCE
Chaos cont.
......previous forest. Volcanoes, supernovas, hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes are all natural phenomenon’s that happen to continue the cycle in which Empedocles described. Scientist use this meaning to understand that it will happen, but can they find the truth of how it can be predicted? -
445 BCE
Chaos Final
Parry, Richard. “Empedocles.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/empedocles/#1. Accessed 9 June 2018. “What is Chaos Theory.” Fractal Foundation, https://fractalfoundation.org/resources/what-is-chaos-theory/. Accessed 9 June 2018