Modern knowledge of his philosophy is based on the extant fragments of his
poems on nature and purification. He asserted that all things are composed of
four primal elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Two active and opposing
forces, love and hate, or affinity and antipathy, act upon these elements,
combining and separating them into infinitely varied forms. According to
Empedocles, reality is cyclical. At the beginning of a cycle, the four elements
are bound together by the principle of love. When hate penetrates the cycle, the
elements begin to separate. Love reunites everything; then hate begins the
process once again. The world as we know it is halfway between the primary
sphere and the stage of total separation of the elements. Empedocles believed
also that no change involving the creation of new matter is possible; only
changes in the combinations of the four existing elements may occur. He also
formulated a primitive theory of evolution in which he declared that humans and
animals evolved from antecedent forms.
Not bad for the old
timers.
Even with the changes in translation and re-definition of the
words to fit into modern scientific fantasies you still have a lot to work with.
It is interesting to note that without hate there is no change. Here is a good breakdown
From the North comes the power of this spirit, Borias. The power of gnomes working the frozen earth, the wealth of gemstones, the Northern Lights.
Here is the Once and Future King, the Giants from our past, the Rock and Foundation that we rest upon. We are a sessile race, putting down roots, burrying our dead or placing the ashes on the sacred turf.
Copyright © 1998, F C-R