Classical element

simple:Classical element

Several ancient Classical Element ideas exist. The Greek version of these ideas persisted throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance, deeply influencing European thought and culture.

Table of contents
1 Classical Elements in Greece
2 Classical Elements during the Middle Ages
3 Chinese Classical Elements
4 Influence of the Classic Elements
5 See also

Classical Elements in Greece

The Greek classical elements are fire, air, water, and earth. They represent in Greek philosophy, science, and medicine the possible constituents of the cosmos.

Plato mentions them as of Pre-Socratic origin, a list created by the philosopher Empedocles.

Fire is both hot and dry.
Air is both hot and wet.
Water is both cold and wet.
Earth is both cold and dry.

One classic diagram (right) has two squares on top of each other, with the corners of one being the classical elements, and the corners of the other being the properties.

According to Galen, these elements were used by Hippocrates in describing the human body with an association with the four humours: phlegm (water), yellow bile (fire), black bile (earth), and blood (air).

Some cosmologies include a fifth element, the "quintessence." These five elements are sometimes associated with the five platonic solids.

The Pythagoreans added idea as the fifth element, and also used the initial letters of these five elements to name the outer angles of their pentagram.

Aristotle added aether as the quintessence, rationalizing that whereas fire, water, earth, and air were earthly and corruptable, the stars were eternal ("aether" is based on Greek for eternity) and were thus not made out of any of the four elements but rather a heavenly substance. The word aether was revived by early 20th century physicists as a term for the invisible medium which permeated the universe. The non-existence of aether was to lead to the downfall of Newtonian physics and pave the way for Einstein's theories of relativity.

Classical Elements during the Middle Ages

The idea of the classical elements was known during medieval times, and, like much Aristotelian dogma, composed a large part of the medieval world view. The Catholic Church supported the Aristotelian concept of aether because it supported the Christian view of earthly life as impermanant and heaven as eternal. References to the classical elements in medieval literature can be seen in the work of many writers, including Shakespeare:

Thou hast as chiding a nativity
As fire, air, water, earth, and heaven can make,
To herald thee from the womb
-PERICLES, from Pericles Prince of Tyre

The cock, that is the trumpet to the morn,
Doth with his lofty and shrill-sounding throat
Awake the god of day; and, at his warning,
Whether in sea or fire, in earth or air,
The extravagant and erring spirit hies
To his confine
-HORATIO, from Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

Chinese Classical Elements

In Chinese Taoism there is a similar system, which includes metal and wood but excludes air. Different things in nature are associated with the five types. For example, the five major planets were named after the elements: Venus is metal, Jupiter is wood, Mercury is water, Mars is fire and Saturn is earth. Also the Moon represents Yin, the Sun represents Yang. Yin and Yang and the five elements are recurring themes in the I Ching, which is strongly related to Chinese cosmology and astrology. See Chinese five elements.

Some South Asian traditions also include the air, earth, fire, water distinctions.

Influence of the Classic Elements

The modern scientific periodic table of the elements and the understanding of combustion (fire) can be considered successors to such early models.

If one associates the modern term 'Plasma' with fire, the other three elements correspond with the modern concept of 'states of matter', this is to say 'Solid' maps to Earth, 'Liquid' to Water and 'Gas' to Air.

See also



In the News

Chimp Stone Age: West African Chimpanzees Have Been Cracking Nuts With
Researchers have found evidence that chimpanzees from West Africa were cracking nuts with stone tools before the advent of agriculture, thousands of years ago. The result suggests chimpanzees developed this behaviour on their own, or even that stone tool use was a trait inherited from our common ancestor.

A Sampling of New Words and Senses From the New 2005 Copyright of Merr
"Find a sample of the nearly 100 new words and senses that have been added"in 2005 to this well-known dictionary of American English. Terms include "cybrarian (noun) ... a person whose job is to find, collect, and manage information that is available on the World Wide Web."

The Online Menorah
Introduction to the meaning of Hanukkah and the Hanukkah menorah. Features background about why Hanukkah is celebrated, the basic rules associated with the use of the menorah (what one may use to light the candles, and how one lights the candles), and audio, with English translations, of three blessings that are recited when the candles are lit. Also includes links to more detailed material about Hanukkah. From a Jewish outreach and education group.

Defender Potato Makes Fabulous Fries, Foils Late Blight
Those delicious, golden fries you've enjoyed recently may have come from a potato called Defender. This excellent potato is the offspring of two parent potatoes chosen in 1990 by prominent Agricultural Research Service (ARS) potato breeder Joseph J. Pavek, formerly at the ARS Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Research Laboratory in Aberdeen, Idaho, and now retired.

Millions Who Suffer From Nut And Milk Allergies Could Benefit From Sta
A team led by a researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine has developed vaccines that vastly reduce or eliminate dogs' allergic reactions to three major food allergens: peanuts, milk and wheat. The vaccines' benefits lasted at least three months.

Dick Cheney's IPod Monomania
Is the Veep's supposed gadget obsession for real? Plus:Download the best holiday song ever. From Leander Kahney's Cult of Mac blog.

Why Joost Is Good for TV
They Kazaa'd the music industry. Then they Skyped the telcos. Now Janus Friis and Niklas Zennström want to Joost your TV. By Spencer Reiss from Wired magazine.

The Boom in Bomb Detection: Get Ready to Be Scanned, Sniffed and Zappe
May 2004 article that describes technological advances in the area of bomb detection when materials are carried in cars, packages, or on a person. Methods discussed include X-rays, "the quadruple resonance technology that zaps people with low-frequency radio waves,"and "electronic sniffers."From Scientific American.

Newly Identified Protein May Inhibit Hepatitis Virus
A newly identified family of proteins may inhibit replication of the Hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) viruses say researchers from California. Their findings appear in the March 2005 issue of the Journal of Virology.

NORAD Tracks Santa
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) tracks Santa’s trip around the world on Christmas Eve. The site provides biographical information about Santa Claus, a sampler of Christmas music, and brief information about NORAD. The tracker goes live the morning of December 24, but prior to that, test videos made of Santa's earlier activities in the calendar year are available for viewing. Available in six languages.


MP3 Music Downloads

Preview songs, Download Free Music,Burn CDs at ITunes.com
iTunes_RGB_9mm

 

Google




InformationQuickFind.com - Find Information Fast

Links