Empedocles : Greek Philosopher Essay Example

a divine or potentially divine being known as a daimon. He had been banished by the immortal gods for "three times countless years" (30,000) due to consuming meat and underwent multiple reincarnations through various aspects of nature and cosmos on a purification journey. He declared that he had achieved the ultimate state of humanity and would be reborn as an immortal being. Additionally, Empedocles boasted seemingly magical abilities such as resurrecting the dead and controlling winds and rain. His main works revolve around the four elements and explore themes of love and strife.

Empedocles theorized that the combination of earth, fire, water, and air can give rise to all things. He believed these elements to be eternal and unchanging; they cannot emerge from nothingness nor disappear completely. To illustrate this concept, Empedocles draws a comparison between the elements and different levels of reality: fire corresponds to the sun, water to the sea, and earth to our planet Earth. While these elements possess equal powers, fire holds a special role due to its ability to solidify other elements as well as its significance in sustaining living organisms.

In addition to their inherent characteristics, the elements are subject to influence by two cosmic forces: love (Philia) and strife (Neikos). Love acts as an attractive force that brings things together through combination while strife serves as a repulsive force that drives them apart. These forces engage in a perpetual struggle for dominance over the universe, taking turns in prevailing.

When love dominates, it draws everything into a sphere where nothing can exist. However, when love weakens, strife gradually gains power and separates all elements until total domination is achieved. This leads

to an a-cosmic state where nothing can exist again. Empedocles describes this phenomenon in one of the remaining fragments of his works: "A twofold tale I shall tell: at one time it grew to be one only from many, and at another again it divided to be many from one." There is a dual birth and passing away of the mortal. The joining of all things brings one generation into being and destroys it, while the other is formed and scattered as they are divided once more. This continuous exchange of position never ceases, with everything coming together into one through Love and being repelled away from each other by Strife. The cosmos is in a constant state of flux and organic evolution. Empedocles believed in two separate creations and worlds with no connection between them. Most researchers of his work believe that we are in the one under the increasing power of strife. Empedocles provides one of the earliest attempts to explain the origin of species.

Empedocles seeks to present a logical and comprehensive explanation for the origins of all animal life, including humans. One of his remaining fragments introduces his account of zoology, where he explains the process of birth and the continuation of generations. This phenomenon can be observed in the untamed species inhabiting mountains, as well as in the two-fold offspring of humans and the abundant growth in agricultural fields. Empedocles claims that these examples serve as undeniable evidence for his theory, as we can witness the coming together and unfolding of birth in our present time.

The theory of Aristotle is essentially a precursor to Darwin's theory of natural selection. At first,

he believed that all limbs and organs of an individual originated from the earth. Gradually, these limbs and organs would come together to form different creatures through the force of love. This process would result in beings with two fronts, hermaphrodites, ox-faced humans, human-faced oxen, and various other hybrid creatures. Aristotle further explains this idea in his work "Physics," while Simplicius provides a more detailed explanation in his commentary on "Physics."

The theory suggests that incorrectly assembled creatures would perish, while those created from uniform limbs would survive and gradually evolve into the species we see today. All organisms in nature were initially born in a single burst and have been reduced to their current forms. Empedocles, an early thinker, was aware that embryos were formed through the blending of male and female sexual fluids (refer to Figure 2 for Empedocles' recorded thoughts on embryos). He believed that hereditary information for the embryo could be found in these fluids, which contained miniature replicas of the father's and mother's limbs and organs. When combined in seed form, these replicas provided a blueprint for the embryo. This theory bears strong resemblance to Empedocles' view on the origin of species.

The sex of the embryo is determined by the temperature of the womb. According to Empedocles, some embryos encounter cold and become women, while others remain warm and become men. This is why men are described as being darker in complexion, stronger in build, and more hairy. Empedocles is the first philosopher to propose a theory explaining our perception of these characteristics.

Empedocles believed that all things emitted effluences which enter our senses through our pores. These effluences vary in shape

and size, allowing only certain ones to enter specific sense organs. He also theorized that perception occurs through the attraction of similar effluences. For example, we perceive light colors through the presence of fire in our eyes, and dark colors through water. Similarly, smell is experienced by the presence of breath in our nostrils. Additionally, Empedocles expanded on Anaxagoas' concept of Nous, which is a teleological force that gives purpose and meaning to everything.

It is the mind that organizes everything to achieve its purpose. The world has a purpose, and is determined by the goal assigned to it by Nous. Nous is regarded as the basis for Idealism. Empedocles considered slaughter and meat consumption to be grievous sins, including cannibalism, as he believed in the idea of reincarnation into various elements of nature. He viewed warfare as the most abhorrent of all wrongdoings and believed that immortals punished perpetrators by casting them down to the lowest state of nature.

In Greece, it is uncommon to hold such a radical stance as warfare and animal sacrifice are integral aspects of Greek City State. However, this individual believed that the Olympian gods were merely misunderstandings of the true gods – the cosmic forces and elements of nature.