The first philosophers of Greece : $b An edition and translation of the remaining fragments of the pre-Sokratic philosophers, together with a translation of the more important accounts of their opinions contained in the early epitomes of their worksFairbanks, Arthur
Philosophy
The first philosophers of Greece : $b An edition and translation of the remaining fragments of the pre-Sokratic philosophers, together with a translation of the more important accounts of their opinions contained in the early epitomes of their works
Fairbanks, Arthur
Philosophy, Ancient
Plut. _Strom._ 10; _Dox._ 582. Empedokles of Agrigentum: The elements
are four—fire, water, aether, earth. And the cause of these is Love and
Strife. From the first mixture of the elements he says that the air was
separated and poured around in a circle; and after the air the fire ran
off, and not having any other place to go to, it ran up from under the
ice that was around the air. And there are two hemispheres moving in
a circle around the earth, the one of pure fire, the other of air and
a little fire mixed, which he thinks is night. And motion began as a
result of the weight of the fire when it was collected. And the sun is
not fire in its nature, but a reflection of fire, like that which takes
place in water. And he says the moon consists of air that has been shut
up by fire, for this becomes solid like hail; and its light it gets from
the sun. The ruling part is not in the head or in the breast, but in the
blood; wherefore in whatever part of the body the more of this is spread,
in that part men excel.
Epiph. _adv. Haer._ iii. 19; _Dox._ 591. Empedokles of Agrigentum, son
of Meton, regarded fire and earth and water and air as the four first
elements, and he said that enmity is the first of the elements. For, he
says, they were separated at first, but now they are united into one,
becoming loved by each other. So in his view the first principles and
powers are two, Enmity and Love, of which the one tends to bring things
together and the other to separate them.
XI.
_ANAXAGORAS._
Anaxagoras of Klazomenae, son of Hegesiboulos, was born in the seventieth
Olympiad (500-497) and died in the first year of the eighty-eighth
Olympiad (428), according to the chronicles of Apollodoros. It is said
that he neglected his possessions in his pursuit of philosophy; he
began to teach philosophy in the archonship of Kallias at Athens (480).
The fall of a meteoric stone at Aegos Potamoi (467 or 469) influenced
profoundly his views of the heavenly bodies. Perikles brought him to
Athens, and tradition says he remained there thirty years. His exile
(434-432) was brought about by the enemies of Perikles, and he died at
Lampsakos. He wrote but one book, according to Diogenes, and the same
authority says this was written in a pleasing and lofty style.
Literature:—Schaubach, _Anax. Claz. Frag._ Lips. 1827; W.
Schorn, _Anax. Claz. et Diog. Apoll. Frag._ Bonn 1829;
Panzerbieter, _De frag. Anax. ord._ Meining. 1836; Fr. Breier,
_Die Philosophie des Anax. nach Arist._ Berl. 1840. Cf. Diels,
_Hermes_ xiii. 4.
FRAGMENTS OF ANAXAGORAS.
1. ὁμοῦ χρήματα πάντα ἦν ἄπειρα καὶ πλῆθος καὶ σμικρότητα· καὶ γὰρ
τὸ σμικρὸν ἄπειρον ἦν. καὶ πάντων ὁμοῦ ἐόντων οὐδὲν ἔνδηλον ἦν ὑπὸ
σμικρότητος· πάντα γὰρ ἀήρ τε καὶ αἰθὴρ κατεῖχεν ἀμφότερα ἄπειρα ἔοντα·
ταῦτα γὰρ μέγιστα ἔνεστιν ἐν τοῖς σύμπασι καὶ πλήθει καὶ μεγέθει.
2. καὶ γὰρ ἀήρ τε καὶ αἰθὴρ ἀποκρίνονται ἀπὸ τοῦ πολλοῦ τοῦ περιέχοντος.
καὶ τό γε περιέχον ἄπειρόν ἐστι τὸ πλῆθος.
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