The Four Qualities and the Four Elements
- Title
- The Four Qualities and the Four Elements
- Description
-
The history of the following ancient theory of "The Four Qualities and Four Elements", provides the world with the evidence of the Egyptian origin of the doctrines of (a) Opposites or Contraries, (b) Change or Transmutation and (c) the life and function of the universe is due to either of four elements: fire, or water, or earth or air.
1. This ancient theory was expressed by a diagram formed by outer and inner squares.
2. The corners of the outer square carried the names of the elements: fire, water, earth and air.
3. The corners of the inner square, being at the mid points of the sides of the outer square, carried the four fundamental qualities, the hot, the dry, the cold and the wet.
4. The diagram explains that fire is hot and dry; earth is dry and cold; water is cold and wet; and air is wet and hot.
5. Accordingly water is an embodiment of cold and wet qualities, and when the cold quality is replaced by the hot quality, the element water is changed into the element air, with the wet and hot qualities.
6. Consequently, transmutation is definitely implied in the teaching of this symbol.
7. It is the oldest teaching of physical science and has been traced to the Egyptians, as far back as 5000 B.C.
8. It shows that Plato and Aristotle (who had been credited with the authorship of this teaching) derived their doctrines or portions of them from the Egyptians.
[Directional Arrows and numbers added by Yosef Ben-Jochannan] - Designer
- [Ancient Egypt]
- Date
- 5000 BC
- Bibliographic Citation
- James, George G. M. 1954. Stolen Legacy: Greek Philosophy is Stolen Egyptian Philosophy.
- Is Referenced By
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Ben-Jochannan, Yosef. 2005. Understanding the African Philosophical Concept Behind the "Diagram of the Law of Opposites." Black Classics Press. Page 51.
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