The Philosophy of Empedocles

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The Philosophy of Empedocles

Empedocles (c . 495-c .435BC , born in the Acragas , the modern Agrigento in the city of Sicily is one of the most prominent Greek philosophers during the Pre-Socratic period and a number of his works particularly the poems On Nature as well as Purifications still remain in fragments among modern philosophers (Craig , 293 . Empedocles ' power as a poet and his vigor as a thinker are superbly married in unity in his works such as the biological explanations , sacrifices , cosmic history

, cycle of change , biological paradigm and Pythagoreanism (Craig , 297 . This is the reason why Empedocles has been regarded as a mystical theologian , a shamanic magician , a material physicist , a healer , a living god , a democratic politician and a fraud (Campbell . However , Empedocles ' two main pieces of works of philosophy , the poem On Nature or Physics and Purifications provide incompatible and extremely different world outlooks (Richard . While these controversies stand out , it took philosophers almost twenty-two centuries to point out the disagreements in the doctrines maintained by Empedocles : the controversy of soul purification and reincarnation and his scientific doctrines . It is now accepted that in deed there exist some contradictions in Empedocles work (Trepanier , 2 . However , his works of philosophy has been of great contribution to human understanding morality , religion , physical science and biological sciences

Empedocles is regarded as a philosopher bridging the gap between philosophy and medicine (William , 608 . With his well earned medical training , he introduces the concept of allopathy and...