Elements
Of what is the world made?

Many Ancient Greek philosophers considered the question, “Of what is the World made?” Naturally, different philosophers at different times gave different answers.

Thales (636-546 BCE, left) proposed that the primary substance, or element, of the Universe was water; Anaximenes (?570-502 BCE), air; and Herakleitos (or Heracletus, ?540-?480 BCE), fire.

Empedokles of Acragas (or Empedocles, 492-432 BCE) suggested that there could be more than one element, and to the list of water, air, and fire added a fourth, earth.

A different concept was the atomist theory of Leucippus of Miletus (?480-?420 BCE) and his disciple Democritus of Abdera (?460-?370 BCE, right) in which all matter is composed of indivisible particles, or atoms, of the same stuff but with differing shapes.

Aristotle (384-322 BCE, left), however, accepted the doctrine of four elements, combining in different proportions to form divers Earthly matter.

The works of Aristotle were rediscovered by Western Europe about 1200, in Latin translations of Arabic translations from the Greek, and over time, the Catholic Church elevated Aristotle’s writings to the same level as Scripture.

The doctrine of four elements thus persisted as the canonical theory for two millennia, over which time a huge body of arcane ideology attached to it. These pages summarise but the tiniest fraction of this…