Who was Empedocles?
Q: Who was Empedocles?
A: Empedocles was a Greek pre-Socratic philosopher who lived in Agrigentum, a Greek colony in Sicily.
Q: What is Empedocles' philosophy best known for?
A: Empedocles' philosophy is best known for being the origin of the cosmogenic theory of the four classical elements in the Western world.
Q: What are the powers that Empedocles proposed?
A: Empedocles proposed powers called Love and Strife which would act as forces to bring about the mixture and separation of the elements.
Q: What did Empedocles' physical speculations and history of the universe deal with?
A: Empedocles' physical speculations were part of a history of the universe which also dealt with the origin and development of life.
Q: What doctrine did Empedocles support?
A: Empedocles supported the doctrine of reincarnation, which was influenced by the Pythagoreans.
Q: How is Empedocles' death portrayed in ancient writings?
A: Empedocles' death was mythologized by ancient writers, and has been the subject of a number of literary treatments.
Q: Why is some of Empedocles' work still available today?
A: Some of Empedocles' work is still available today, more so than in the case of any other Presocratic philosopher because he is generally considered the last Greek philosopher to record his ideas in verse.
