The Life and Philosophy of Empedocles

In this video, I examine the life and teachings of the Pre-Socratic philosopher Empedocles (c.494-434 BC). I adopt the same approach to his work as I did to Pythagoras. Since he lived in an age in which mythos and logos formed an organic whole, one cannot adequately grasp his philosophy by demythologizing it. In the first part of the video, I set forth a few key aspects of his life, such as his aristocratic background and his claims to magical power. He is even said to have been deified and ascended to heaven (or, alternatively, to have thrown himself into a volcano).

I then turn to examine his philosophy as it is articulated in his two major poems: On Nature and On the Purifications.

Despite its name and the way it is often taught in Anglo-American philosophy classes, On Nature cannot be understood as articulating a form of reductive materialism. Rather, I point out that he explicitly rejects such a view, claiming that Nature must be understood as a whole, and that, to do so, one must grasp Being as it appears in the appearance of things. It is in this context that he articulates his famous theory of the four roots of fire, air, water, and earth, and the powers of Aphrodite and Neikos which relate them.

On the Purifications sets forth a vision of how we should live in such a world. He provides an explanation for suffering, claiming that we are daimons who have been exiled to this material world for some previous crime. He also fashions a doctrine of metempsychosis, and grounds an ethic of nonviolence upon it.

For a more detailed description, you can find a corresponding essay on my blog here: http://premieretat.com/the-life-and-philosophy-of-empedocles/