Aristotle 



39 



for the whole subsequent development of science and was not 

 displaced until quite modern times. It was not an original con- 

 ception of Aristotle, for something resembling it had been set 

 forth fong before his time in figurative language by Empedocles 

 (c. 500-^. 430 B.C.), as Aristotle himself tells us. 1 The same 

 view had been foreshadowed by Pythagoras (c. 580-^. 490 B.C.) 

 at an even earlier date and was perhaps of much greater anti- 

 quity. But Aristotle developed the doctrine and was the main 

 channel for its conveyance to later ages, so that his name will 

 always be associated with it. Matter in general and living 



FIKE 



AIR 



EARTH 



Cold 



WATER 



Fig. 7b. The Four Elements and the Four Qualities. 



matter in particular was held by him to be composed of these 

 four essential so-called elements (oroi^eta), each of which 

 is in turn compounded from two of the primary qualities 

 (bwdiJ.Ls) which Aristotle brought into relation with the 

 elements. Thus earth was cold and dry, water cold -and 'wet, 

 air hot and wet, and fire hot and dry (Fig. 7 b). 



The theory of the elements and qualities is applicable to all 

 matter and not specially to living things. The distinction 

 between the living and not-living is to be sought not so much 

 in its material constitution, but in the presence or absence of 

 6 soul ', and his teaching on that topic is to be found in his 

 great work TTC/H ^v^s, On Soul. He does not think of matter 

 1 Metaphysics, i. 4. De generatione et corruptione^ ii. i. 



