<history of philosophy, biography> Greek presocratic philosopher (d. 433 B.C.) who supposed that the four elements are irreducible components of the world, joined to and separated from each other by competing principles. Love invariably strives to combine everything into a harmonious sphere, which Strife tries to shatter into distinct entities. Human beings corrupted by eating animal flesh, Empedocles, supposed, pursue philosophy in an effort to contribute positively to the cosmic cycle. Recommended Reading: Empedocles: The Extant Fragments, ed. by M. R. Wright (Hackett, 1995); Empedocles, ed. by Brad Inwood (Toronto, 2001); and Peter Kingsley, Ancient Philosophy, Mystery, and Magic: Empedocles and Pythagorean Tradition (Oxford, 1997).
[A Dictionary of Philosophical Terms and Names]
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