Empedocles (490 BC – 430 BC)

Father of the cosmogenic theory of the four classical elements (fire, air, water and earth), Empedocles states that the world is governed by two cosmic forces (of attraction and repulsion) which cause the eternal, immutable elements to combine and generate everything there is. The world can be described as a constant flux whose stability is warranted by the eternity of its basic constituents. The organic evolution of the universe accounts for life and its diversity, whereas the existence of the same elements in all things allows for perception and thought (by similars). Empedocles considers Man to be potentially perfectible through refining knowledge.